Cornerstone
by Vordigan
Summary: It's 2022, now the Thundertwins are known as the heroes of Hiddenville. Their fame is spreading across the main cities of the country, but as they get more attention, there is a tragedy waiting to happen. Love, crime, treason, death, maddness... Sometimes our destiny is written on a cornerstone. (Thundercest)
1. The secret life of the american twins

**Chapter 1: The secret life of the american twins.**

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville Urban Zone.  
September 18, 2022, Sunday.  
10:45 PM**

 _"And once again, the Thundertwins saved the day...!"_

 _"...the city's favorite superheroes have stopped the bank robbers while..."_

 _"...certainly, we haven't seen anything like this since the days of Thunderman and Electress..."_

 _"...from Metroburg to Swellview, these heroes have won the admiration of..."_

 _"Thank you Thundertwins, for making this city, a safer place to live."_

After being surfing through several channels, the television went off abruptly, and right after that the remote was placed on the couch. Max stood up and walked to the operations room. He was using his super suit, just waiting to go on a mission. And as he entered the room he saw his sister in front of her computer, so he walked up to her saying:

"I can't believe what I'm going to say but... I think Cherry earned some points for suggesting our name some years ago. I'm shocked!"

The girl of wavy hair turned around on the chair to find with her brother, and smiled at him for his funny comment.

"I can't believe we graduated from High School 5 years ago and now..." She replied lowering her eyes and letting out a sigh after bringing all those memories back to her mind, and putting on perspective their new life as superheroes.

What Max was watching on TV was just the tip of the iceberg, because they were appearing in all the news lately. About a year ago, since they began fighting crime as the protectors of Hiddenville, they were the main topic of practically all the news, every day. None of the main channels would have lose the opportunity to talk about their heroic acts, and it was not surprising, because for the last months they've been trying so hard to keep their beloved city safe from those dangerous criminals that began to arrive some time ago.

Probably the attack of Dark Mayhem was the cause for some villains and regular criminals to start put their eyes on the peaceful city, either because they were trying to avenge the ultimate villain, or because they underestimated the powers of the twins. However, those criminals were no match for Max and Phoebe because whenever they fight together, they were almost unstoppable.

5 years had passed since Max took the hard decision of abandon his evil ways as a villain to become a superhero and fight against crime along with his sister. Things have changed a lot for them since that day. On 2017 they graduated from High School and attended to Hero University together. After their graduation, it did not take much time for them to be assigned by President Kickbutt as the protectors of Hiddenville.

The only difference was that they were not living in their parents' house anymore. Now, they were renting an apartment located in the urban zone, far away from their family and friends. Just the two of them.

"Yeah, and here we are now, about to go out to the city and kick some butts." Max said, after crossing his arms in front of her.

Phoebe's nostalgic mood had an impact on Max, because he quickly remembered when they had just a few days after they moved from their parents' house.

Around those days Max started to set up their new home with all kind of devices of his own inventive. These devices were very useful to plannign their missions. He was able to get some non-lethal weapons too for emergency cases, but having their powers as an advantage, they haven't had the chance to use them. Soon the apartment was turned into their new headquarters, one more resisting than the last one.

In rare occasions, the twins went on their own but yet, Max decided to build a super computer to link and encrypt the communications of their phones. The same computer that was behind Phoebe right now.

At that very moment, an alert came from Max's cell phone, so he immediately took it out of his pocket:

"Finally, a mission!" He exclaimed after seeing what the screen was showing.

"It's that from the T-Force app? Why didn't my phone warn me?" Phoebe asked while staring at her cell phone with an upset expression.

"Maybe it's because of that girly app you insist on using." Max replied after taking his eyes off the phone, trying to annoy her with a teasing smile.

'Cupcake Shop: Dessert Maker', was Phoebe's favorite app. 4 months ago she got really obsessed with it after Chloe installed it in her phone to play during one of their visits. She barely had time to use it, but she loved to feel like an awesome pastry chef, after finding out how difficult was for her baking real desserts for Max.

"I love to play 'Cupcake Shop', virtual cakes are way more easy to bake than..." She tried to explain but was interrupted by him.

"Hey we can talk about your delicious brownies later okay? We have to go. The T-Force app detected some guys breaking into Hidenville Galleria" Max said, showing his phone to her immediately.

"Hidenville Galleria? Max that's like 3 miles away from here." Phoebe replied, taking his phone out of his hands to see it closely.

"Don't worry Pheebs, for what I've seen in the cameras they don't look like professionals, they'll take some time before they can find a place steal from. Besides, its Sunday there's no traffic. We'll be there in a few minutes." Max stated while Phoebe gave him his phone. "Let's go."

He quickly went to the living room and put on a black leather jacket he left on the couch. He took a laptop bag from the same place and walked to the apartment entrance.

"Wait...!" A concerned Phoebe shouted out, moving as fast as she could.

She ran to the living room to take her bag, and once she had it, went to the door and followed her brother, who was now standing out of there, waiting for her in the hallway.

"All right, let's go." Phoebe said after closing the door behind her.

The next thing they did was running to the elevators. It was a long way to get there, but suddenly something came to Phoebe's mind, and as they ran through the hallways side by side, she told her brother:

"Max wait, we didn't close the door!"

"Yes we did." He answered while touching the screen of his smartwatch, which he used to control almost everything in the apartment.

He smiled at her when they got to the elevators. She smiled back, like always.

 **10:52 PM**

Delta Tower had 10 floors and their apartment was on the 8th, so after taking the elevator they should arrive to the parking lot in just a few minutes. On the way there, Max and Phoebe were so close from each other, even if the elevator was completely empty. They were so focused on their mission that none of them realized this.

Fortunately for them, there were no people using the elevators at that time, so they could get down there without making any stop in another floor. Once the doors were open, they ran to their mean of transportation; the Thundercar.

This vehicle was nothing more than a blue Mustang 2008. A discreet but fast vehicle, equipped with all the technology of the Hero League. The car has been modified to be faster, it was completely armored and got both, bullet-proof windows and tires. In the inside there was an advanced panel linked to Hero League, which they used to check the T-Force app, among other things, like President Kickbutt's messages.

They quickly got in the car very quickly and prepared to get to their destination, as fast as they could. Once they left the building, Phoebe activated a special device invented by Max, to change the plate of the vehicle. It could generate random plates from Hidenville's database. That would help them to avoid getting the attention of police.

Max was driving and Phoebe was seated next to him, they've always done it that way because Phoebe needed to prepare her clothes before they started their missions. They had to put on their super suits before getting out of the apartment and cover it with something else. Things were very easy for Max, he just had to put on a jacket and nobody could've known he was wearing his super suit under the clothes. His black jeans would easily pass as civilian clothes.

But Phoebe was a completely different story. Since she was using skirt and boots, she had to carry a laptop bag bigger than Max's, besides she had to use jeans and sweater to hide her suit. While Max was driving, she'd have to take off the extra clothes to put on the skirt and boots of Thundergirl's suit, but sometimes she had some problems to do it and ended up with a little bruise or two while changing her clothes, just like now...

"Ouch! Watch out Max!" Phoebe exclaimed, after hitting her elbow with the car's door.

"Sorry, but you should really think about stop using those pants. If you only used the skirt you could cover it with another one, and wouldn't have to do this every time we go out on a mission." He suggested while driving down the avenue.

"Yeah, but the Hero League has a dress code, and no matter how much you'd love to see me using just my skirt, they don't think it's good for hero girls to go around making acrobatic moves, with next to nothing on." She emphatically said while making the last moves to put on the boots.

Max couldn't help but smile a little bit after hearing what she said, he used to have fun every time he saw the awesome movements Phoebe had to do to get dressed, but luckily she was still very elastic thanks to the strenuous hours she spent practicing ballet.

But things were not always like this, because when they started using the Thundercar, Phoebe used to get dressed in the back seat, because changing her clothes next to her brother was very embarrassing for her, but as the time passed they got used to be so close from each other, that all those embarrassing moments just disappeared.

With her super suit ready, Phoebe put on the seatbelt again and grabbed the bags from the back seat. She took out the capes and masks and put them on her thighs. Everything was ready. There were just a few cars driving down the main avenue, so they didn't take long to be half of the way.

When Max took Millbrook Avenue he speeded up the car, which always raised Phoebe's nerves to heaven, but he loved to do that, just to scare her a little bit.

"Whoa, slow down McFly, the thieves are not running away." She said with a nervous look.

"Easy Pheebs, I've got everything under control. We're almost there." Max assured her, confident of his skills in traffic

 **Hiddenville Galleria.  
11:02 PM**

Some minutes later Max was driving inside of the big parking lot from Hiddenville Galleria, and Phoebe was looking at the surveillance cameras on the car's panel. The thieves were still there and as far as she could tell, they were checking up some of the stores. In situations like this, Max used to park the vehicle far away from the main doors, and that's what he was going to do, because he didn't want to be discovered before even getting inside.

While he was parking the car, his partner in crime used an elastic band to tie her hair in a ponytail, and then she looked back at the analysis showed on the screen. Soon she found out something interesting:

"Max, the report says we have 5 targets, the scan does not specify if they're armed or not but we should be prepared." She warned her twin with a serious look on her face.

"Don't worry Pheebs, I'll be more careful this time. You ready?" Max asked right away.

"Always. Here." She agreed, giving him the last garments of his suit.

Max put on the mask at the same time Phoebe did, and then nodded to each other. It was like a secret code they came up with in all this time. Doing the same things at the same time was nothing weird for them, because when they were kids they used to do it all the time, and they loved when that happened.

During their teenage years this peculiar habit seemed to have been forgotten, but now they were there, unconsciously mimicking each other movements, just like a mirror of themselves. It was like time has not really passed. Once they got out of the Mustang they put on their capes to complete their suits. They were ready for action.

After taking a look around the place, they noticed it was completely empty, not even a security guard was walking around. Suddenly the twins felt a cold wind running through their bodies that caused their capes to start waving over and over again. Max locked the car by touching the screen of his smartwatch and soon after, they ran to the building together.

On the way there the silent was evident. They didn't want to get ahead of the facts, but they couldn't stop thinking that something was wrong. When they got to the building's entrance they found the glass doors completely broken. The twins stopped for a second to evaluate the situation, so Phoebe grabbed her phone to take a look at the inside:

"Max I know where they are, they're in front of a jewelry from the second floor. They're using clown masks" She informed, looking at the screen.

"All right. Wait... did you say clown masks? That's what I call retro, that's from 2016." Max remarked, and then smiled at his partner.

"I know. It has to be the same jewelry where we bought dad's watch. We have to proceed with caution." Phoebe said with a low tone of voice, trying not to speak out lout.

They saw the glass fragments were in the inside, so there was no doubt this was the door the robbers used to have access to the mall, but for some reason none of the alarms was activated. They had to go very carefully, since they didn't know if the guys were close to their position.

They slowly entered the building, trying not to make any noises. They stopped for a second to look around them, and even if most of the lights were off, they still got some visibility. Suddenly they heard what seemed to be crystals getting crashed. These noises were coming from the second floor so after sharing a serious look with each other, they walked faster to get there.

They knew the electric stairs wouldn't be working at that time, so they had to walk up the old fashion way, but most importantly, very silent. Max walked up the stairs first and Phoebe went behind him. Soon they were able to hear some voices saying something they couldn't really figure out.

"On your left, Max." Phoebe whispered while getting close to him, right before putting a foot on the second floor.

"De acuerdo." Max nodded.

Shortly after they went ahead and began running straight to the Royal Key jewelry, located at the bottom of the hallway. All the other stores were closed, so nothing but darkness was covering their path. As they got close to the store they saw some flashlights coming from the inside. Apparently the guys haven't ended with the looting yet.

In less than a minute the twins were finally in front of the jewelry, side by side with a determined look, and waiting to spot their targets. That jewelry was a very elegant place, and the front facade couldn't say the contrary. Fine jewelry and luxury watches were the main sales that kept this store in a constant grow, but this night, from all of the other stores in the mall, the Royal Key was bad lucky enough to be chosen by these robbers.

The door was made of glass too, so it suffered the same fate than the one from the main entrance. Max and Phoebe didn't have to wait there for longer, because they quickly saw two guys walking inside of the store. Apparently they were not aware of their presence yet.

In situations like this, darkness could be a powerful ally for those criminals, that's why Phoebe had the idea of taking this advantage from them. She just had to lift her right arm and move two of her fingers to slide down the switches from the power system on the wall. In an instant all the lights were turned on, exposing the robbers but taking their attention in the process.

"Sorry... Are we interrupting something?" Max ironically asked them.

The Thundertwins saw the bad guys through the surveillance cameras, but they could only distinguish their silhouettes. Once the place was lighted up, the heroes realized that they weren't just gang members as they thought before. They were using black tactical suits and got their faces covered with those singulars clown masks, primarily white with some shapes and other details in different colors.

Phoebe's suspicions were totally true, because both guys were armed and as soon as they saw the twins, they quickly aimed their guns at them, ready to use all of the ammo. The guns they were using were two semi-automatic pistols Infinity .45 caliber, far too sophisticated for street muggers. Max and Phoebe had no more doubts, these guys were professionals.

Without double thinking, Max and Phoebe went after their targets to stop them in their own way. Phoebe chose the guy on her left who was using a white-orange mask, and approached to him.

"Shoot them now!" One of them shouted out when they began getting closer.

But right before he could pull the trigger, the girl moved her right arm to use her telekinesis and ripped the gun out of his hands, making it fly away from him. Being completely disarmed he only had his hands to fight, si he went after her. Phoebe didn't want to take too much risk, and before he could throw a punch she aimed her left hand at him and made him fly though the jewelry, smashing other things in the process.

She threw the guy against one of the walls and left him there, floating in the air. He was so confused and unaware of what was happening.

"What is this? What the hell did you do?!" The guy yelled at her, as he desperately tried to move.

Once Phoebe was sure he was not a threat anymore, she blew with all her strengths and a powerful ice breeze left the man turned into a big block of ice sticked to the wall.

At the same time Phoebe was dealing with him, Max approached to the guy at his right who was using a white-green mask, but unlike his partner he managed to shoot his gun at Max. Shoot by shoot he let out all the 14 bullets from his magazine, and after shooting the last one he could only see how his ammo was floating in the middle of the air. He was so confused.

Max was able to stop all the bullets telekinetically, and now they were levitating in front of him. He just had to use one hand to achieve such a thing. This would have been very hard for him many years ago, even for Phoebe, but things were very different now.

When Max saw the robber reloading his gun, he dropped the bullets and just with two simultaneous movements of his right hand, he threw the pistol to the ground and then he lifted the guy to pin him against the ceiling, which forced him to keep his arm raised to keep canalizing his power straight to him.

Now everything seemed to be under control. Max looked for his sister with his gaze and saw that she managed to take down the other guy. He tried to smile at her just like he always did but he couldn't, because out of nowhere, two more guys came out of a small warehouse and shot their guns immediately. They were using white-blue and white-red masks.

Phoebe found the way to run away from the bullets and took cover behind the showcase. Max remained in his place but was able to react before the bullets could hurt him, so he quickly threw the guy he was telekinetically holding on the ceiling, which made him scream at the top of his lungs as he took down the rest of his partners by smashing them with his own body.

With all those shoots some of the furnitures and expensive objects were destroyed, but now they could easily thake down the robbers easily, so Max and Phoebe approached them. One of them, the one Max threw at the others was on the floor unconscious and the rest were fully awake, but there was nothing they could to to fight back.

"You better give up now, don't make this harder than it is." Phoebe warned them with an authoritative voice.

"Surrender and you won't end up turned into an ice pop, like your friend over there." Max added, trying to persuade them.

In the middle of the commotion, the thieves were forced to drop their guns. They already heard about superheroes saving cities around the world, but they have never seen any of them. Now there were two supes standing right in front of them. Two persons capable of doing things they could only dream of. They knew they didn't stand a chance, but were not willing to give up.

When they saw the twins getting close they desperately tried to grab their weapons, but Phoebe saw what they were trying to do and quicky moved her hand to telekinetically throw their guns at the bottom of the jewelry. Once disarmed, they had no other choice but stand up and fight them.

The one with the white-blue mask tried to punch Phoebe in the face, but she blocked it with her left forearm and kicked him in the stomach very hard. It was too late for her to realize that the muggers were using bulletproof vests, which may difficult hand-to-hand combat.

In the meantime, Max was dodging all the punches thrown by the guy with the white-red mask. He seemed to be an experienced fighter, so it won't be easy to be defeat. After reading most of his movements, Max was waiting for the right moment to attack.

Phoebe was trying so hard to knock out her attacker and was able to hit him several times, but he had a great endurance and was strong build, a huge disadvantage for her. Max in the other hand seemed to have gained control of the fight, and after blocking a kick he rushed to pucnch the guy right in the throat, which made him walk backwards to try to catch some breath.

The twins were still courageously fighting, but at some point the guy who was fighting Phoebe kicked her in the stomach and threw her against the wall, then gave her a hard punch in the face that made her fall to the floor in pain.

"Stupid bitch! That will teach you." The delinquent yelled, as he saw the girl was trying to crawl away from him.

The hit was so loud that it could be heard all around the whole place, and her moaning took her brother's attention immediately. The girl's hands were not fighting against her attacker anymore, because now they were covering her face, trying to ease the pain.

"NO!" Max shouted out, full of rage.

Now that he was distracted, the guy he was fighting with started to walk at him but couldn't go any further, because just by seeing his twin lying on the floor was enough for Max to have a sudden burst of rage, and without even using his hands, he telekinetically threw the robber and smashed him against some shelves at the bottom of the store, crashing everything around him. Now he was lying on the floor, unconscious.

Phoebe was astonished after what she just witnessed. She never saw her brother doing something like that before. He quickly looked at Phoebe's face and what he saw in her eyes provoked something unknown for him. She was in tears. Max gave the last standing man a cold gaze.

The guy started to walk at him but he never thought that Max has completely forgotten about the mission, and all he wanted was to avenge his sister. He wanted to make him pay for hurting his sister, so after aiming his right hand at him, he paralyzed the robber with his telekinesis and caused an incredible pain all over his body. Soon after, he threw him against the wall behind him, the same wall where he punched Phoebe.

Max was still aiming his hand straight to him, but his power was not holding the whole body anymore, now his hand seemed to be holding him by the neck only. Suddenly he began to levitate against the wall, making it hard for him to breathe properly. Max walked up to him and yelled in front of his face:

"Don't you ever touch her again!"

And soon after he threw a powerful punch in the face that made him spit some blood against the wall. The moaning he gave was heard in all the corners of the store but it wasn't enough for Max. He wanted him to suffer as much as his sister did, and as he kept the guy in the same position, he punched him in the face again, but this time he spit a lot of blood all over the wall.

It was not necessary to keep holding him against the wall, so he stopped his telekinesis to let the man fall on the floor, completely unconscious.

He quickly ran to his sister and helped her to stand up by taking her by the waist. Once the girl was standing next to him, they stopped for a second and looked at each other, without even saying a single word. Max was able to feel that Phoebe was still sored, and due to the punch she received some minutes ago, her cheek was getting red.

"Are you okay Pheebs?" He worriedly asked, as he cupped her face with both hands.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine." She nodded, trying to give him a smile.

Max was sure she didn't want him to be worried. She had several fight with criminals in the past, but they've never hurt her like that before. He knew Phoebe so well that she didn't even have to say anything, all he did was hugging her with all his strengths. They stood like this for a few seconds until they were interrupted by an unknown voice:

"Look at the little couple of heroes. Is your girlfriend hurt?" The last robber said, as he walked out of the back warehouse.

The twins totally forgot that they just stopped 4 out of 5 guys, and as they could tell he seemed to be the leader. His face was covered with a clown mask similar to the one his partners were using, but this was black and white. Also, he was holding an assault rifle AK-47. Highly lethal.

After they saw the guy in the middle of the room, they immediately took a step of distance between them so they could try to stop him, but it was too late to use their powers on him, because he was aiming his gun straight to them. If they tried to use telekinesis to take him down they could get hurt, so after they shared a short look they decided to use their last resource:

"Thunder-shield!" They shouted out at the same time as they strongly hold their hands, and right after they raised the other hand thoward the enemy to create a telekinetic barrier right in front of them.

They did it just in time because right in the moment they touched each other's hands, the guy pulled the trigger and the automatic weapon began shooting a huge blast that seemed to shake up the thin walls around them. They were in the middle of the jewelry and all those shoots were deafening, they almost felt like they were in a war zone. The twins had to keep fighting.

There was no way that either of them would have managed to stop so many bullets on their own, not from a overpowered rifle like that. Some years ago, when they learned to use the Thunder-shield at Hero University, they thought that taking their hands to increase their telekinetic power to use it in a defensive way, was just stupid. They even said they would never have to use it, but they were wrong.

Right now, dozens of bullets were still hitting against the barrier and bounced to the walls. Other bullets were just falling to the wooded floor and burned it as soon as they touched it. Definitely that guy would never stop pulling the trigger of his weapon, and the blast will keep going until the magazine was empty, or one of them was dead.

Max and Phoebe were still safe and sound but as the time passed, they seemed to be more and more tired, because using this peculiar defense required a lot of energy and concentration, something hard to achieve in a moment like this.

They felt the weapon was almost running out of bullets but they were terribly wrong, because the criminal leader had the obsessive habit of charging his weapon with two drums, making possible for him to shoot up to 150 rounds.

Soon their faces were reflecting the tremendous cost of being safe from those powerful shoots, because each one of them would easily reach 2 ft/s. Suddenly the twins were being pushed back very slowly, as they kept forcing themselves to keep their protection going. Definitely their tactical boots were not working properly to stop the friction with the floor.

Some seconds later they started to being puhed really hard, and they only stopped until their backs were touching the cold showcase from the entrance, but the multiple shoots seemed to have no end. They were still safe by now, but didn't know how long they could resist.

"There's too many!" Phoebe desperately yelled.

"I know! Just keep going!" Max replied, encouraging her to continue.

Their hands were so tightened at that moment. They've never kept a shield for so long before, not to mention in a situation like this. At some point they noticed the bullets were not bouncing or faling to the floor anymore, because now they were getting stucked in the shield, less than three feet from their faces. It was a clear sign that their energy was about to end.

But just when they thought the shield would disappear, out of nowhere the shoots stopped, and they could only hear the distinctive sound of the rifle trying to find more ammo, but it was useless because both drums were empty.

Max and Phoebe shared another look and let out a sigh of relief. After the shield got vanished, they slowly let their hands go. They were so tired right now, and the sweat on their faces was a proof of it.

But no matter if the robber was out of bullets, there was no reason to believe they got away with it, because as they tried to make sure that the other was fine, they hear a peculiar sound. The next thing they saw was the guy was removing the drums of the gun, and then grabbed another magazine from his belt, a smaller one.

The twins had to do something quickly because there was no way they could stop another blast, no matter how small it was. They had to think about way to stop him without using telekinesis. That's when Phoebe startd to look around her, trying to find something they could use.

Then some shiny object on the ceiling caught her attention. Suddenly an idea came to her mind, and thought it was the only way to stop him, but there was no time to tell her brother what she wanted to do. She just hoped he could guess what her plan was.

"You're dead!" The guy yelled at them as he finished to reload his rifle.

At that very moment Phoebe raised her face to the ceiling and quickly used her heat breath to activate the fire sprinklers. In an instant the system released the water all over the jewelry. It looked like there was a small rain inside there.

When Max saw what she did, he immediately thought she came up with something, and after seeing the robber aiming his weapon toward them, something in his mind told him what he had to do, and right after the first shoot was heard, he used his ice breath to freeze everything around him.

The water streaming out of the sparkles was very useful to end with this task, and in a few seconds the entire place was covered with a thick ice layer, including the other robbers but specially the leader, who was now standing in front of them turned into an ice statue. The sparklers were frozen too, and now they were only dropping some small pieces of ice. Finally it was over.

With the situation under control, Max walked very slow to the guy in front of him and saw he was still holding his AK-47, and the only bullet he was able to shoot, was frozen with an ice line that came out of the barrel.

"Wow! That was close, right?" Max exclaimed as he looked at the ice statue. Then he ripped the bullet out with his hand.

"Yeah well, they can't say we didn't warn them." Phoebe answered, provoking a sudden smile on him.

"Man, look at this place. The owner is going to hate us too." He stated after looking around the place, remembering the other occasions they accidentally destroyed two of Mrs. Wong's restaurants.

"Right Pheebs? Pheebs...?" He asked again, but after noticing Phoebe wasn't answering, he turned around and saw his sister falling on her knees, so he rushed to get her. He was so worried.

"Phoebe, you okay?" He quickly asked after taking her by her waist, to prevent her from falling.

"Yeah I'm just... I'm just little tired." She replied, not being able to look him in the eyes. It was hard for her to keep her eyes open.

"Phoebe you've never been good at lying." Max stated, perfectly knowing she didn't want to worry him. "Come here." He added after he helped her to stand up. Then he slipped his left arm behind her back and with a single move, he lifted the girl on his arms to take her back to the car.

Phoebe's face was so close to his. She thought her mask would help her to hide the paleness she must have on her face right now, but Max didn't need to look at her face to know how exhausted she was. Sometimes they knew each other more than themselves.

The twins had to get out of there as soon as possible, because even if Hidenville police was abscent this night, they didn't get happy when they saw other people doing their job, so once Max was sure that the robbers and their weapons were completely frozen, he considered everything was fine, so he turned around and slowly walked to the Royal Key's doors, with his twin on his arms.

There were a bunch of crystal and cement fragments all over the place, and so dozens of jewels that were so close to be part of the looting of these criminals if it wasn't for them. The jewelry was quite a mess, but at least the mission was a success, well, sorta.

 **11:23 PM**

Even when they've left the jewelry, Phoebe was getting cold. Normally this wouldn't happen, she must be okay at this point but this time was different. And now there she was, shivering in her twin's arms and trying not to let him know about it, but it was impossible.

"Are you cold?" He asked her, lowering his gaze.

"Yeah, just a little." She replied with a soft voice.

"Hang on." Max said after listening to her answer.

But then, as though she has read his mind, Phoebe placed her arms around his neck and used all of her strength not to fall. Max used his left hand to untie his cape and used it to cover up his sister. He then slipped his arm behind Phoebe's back again, and kept walking by the stores. But the girl's arms were still around his neck.

As her brother carried her through the mall hallways, she began to lose that cold sensation she had before. She thought it was because Max used his cape on her, but it was because of the warm she felt on his chest. She was so comfortable by being in his lap, that when the young man was walking down the stairs she placed her head on his chest. Not because she was exhausted, but because she felt suddenly sleepy, so she slowly closed the eyes.

 **11:27 PM**

When they made it to the mall's broken doors, Max started to hear some sirens at the distance, and the next thing he saw was two police patrols parking in front of the entrance. After being walking in the middle of darkness for several minutes, those shiny red-blue lights were blinding him, so he was forced to put the head down a little bit, as he kept walking to the door.

Some officers were getting out of the cars and when they saw movement inside of the building, they quickly aimed their Sig Sauer at him, but when they realized who was inside of the building, they put the guns down and approached to him.

When Max was in front of them he didn't pay much attention on them and kept walking out of the mall, but as soon as he passed by the 4 officers, he finally broke the silence:

"There are 5 robbers at the Royal Key, you better have brought some blowtorch if you want to arrest them." He told the officers without stop his walk.

"Hey 'superhero', you have to give us your statement, remember?" One of them informed in a rude way.

"Call the Hero League tomorrow morning, they'll give you the report." Max replied, leaving the cops behind.

"What happened to the girl? Is she okay?" The same officer rushed to ask, after remembering he was carrying someone in his arms.

"She will be." He replied, not looking back.

 **11:58 PM**

The lights have been illuminating the city for 5 hours or so, but now those lights were illuminating Phoebe's face every time the blue Mustang passed under one of the street lamps. With nothing else to do for the night, Max could drive at a normal speed, not like he did when they left the apartment.

He wasn't driving like that to avoid an infringement, but because he didn't want to wake his sister up. After the hard mission they had to bare this night, he thought that sleeping all the night was the best for her.

From time to time he stopped looking at the road to look at Phoebe, sleeping in the seat next to him. He liked to see her like that, so peacefully. He took the steering wheel with one hand and fixed the cape with the other, preventing her from getting cold again. He smiled at her softly and kept driving.

He was trying to remember when was the last time one of them ended up so exhausted after using their telekinesis, but he couldn't. They've never passed out for overusing their powers, the farthest they have ever pushed their abilities was to the point of running out of breath.

But after thinking about it deeply, they've never needed to take their powers to this entirly new level. Not even during those tough traingings at the T-Force headquarters. He couldn't stop thinking about it over and over again. He was worried.

Probably the hit Pheobe got has caused more damage than they thought. Maybe that's why she forced her brain to consume her energy faster than normal but he didn't know it, he was just speculating. Bhe was sure about one thing; he would take her to Metroburg's General Hospital tomorrow morning.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville Urban Zone.  
September 19, 2022, Monday.  
12:46 AM**

It was almost 1 in the morning and there was a deep silence in Max and Phoebe's apartment. But in the middle of darkness, a message alert turned on the screen of a phone. It was Phoebe's MePhone on the living room table, and as soon as the screen turned off again, those dark brown eyes were trying to find it.

After the twins got home, the first thing Max did was dropping their things on the floor and he immediately carried Phoebe to the couch and laid her down. He took off her mask very carefully, trying not to wake her up. Sometimes she liked to sleep on the couch so he decided to let her sleep there. Soon after he went to bring a blanket and used it to tuck her in. He didn't want her to be cold.

He wasn't falling asleep that night because he normally stayed up all night, but he also woke up by midday. Dedicating their lives to be superheroes had a good side, he could sleep all he wanted as long as they didn't have an unplanned mission to take care of.

There was nothing important to do at that hour, so just to kill time he went to the operations area, and sat in front of the computer to send the report of their most recent mission to the Hero League. This task was nothing more than a boring protocol he always reserved for Phoebe, but this time he decided to do it himself.

It took him about 30 minutes to fill all the information about the assignment, such as a detailed description of the mission, the procedures they followed, the damaged they caused to private property, the number of targets, etc. But when he came across a text field that read "wounded", he didn't know what to write.

Phoebe wasn't really wounded, and no matter if he saw her sleeping on the couch like nothing happened, he couldn't stop worrying about her. At thtat very moment, Max heard a soft voice behind him:

"You can leave that blank." Phoebe suggested, after seeing what was he doing.

Max turned around immediately and found his sister standing right in front of him. She entered the room without making any noise, something normal for an experienced ballerina like her. She was still using her super suit and her hair was not tied anymore. She looked just the same than when they left the apartment some hours ago. Max was so surprised to see her, so he quickly stood up and got close to her:

"Phoebe... You okay?" He worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine just... just a little sore." She answered with a soft smile on her face.

When the computer screen lighted up her face, Max couldn't help but staring at her left cheek. It was a little swollen and had a bruise that reached to her lip. When he laid her down on the couch it didn't looked so bad, but after seeing her closely, he couldn't believe what that guy has done to his sister. He was so angry.

"That bastard! Look what he did to you!" He shouted out in rage.

"I know, I saw the bruise with my phone but... it's not a selfie I'd like to keep." She remarked, making a dislike gesture after saying the last part.

"At least I gave him what he deserved before putting his ass in the ice." He said with a hint of anger in his voice, right before turning his back on her, since he didn't want her to see him like that.

"Don't worry Max, in a few days I'll be like new, you'll see. Besides, I'm an expert with make-up." Phoebe replied as she walked around him to see his face, and smiled at him once again. "I'm fine." She insisted while looking him straight to his eyes.

He always had some problems to go against Phoebe every time she smiled like that, and this time was no exception. It looked like Phoebe had another superpower, but it was funny how it only worked on him.

"So... is the report ready?" She curiously asked.

"Yeah, I just needed to write something in the 'wounded' part but... yeah it's ready." He said after pressing the 'Enter' button on his holographic keyboard.

"Cool. Oh by the way... look, I got a message from Cherry. She wants to know if we can go with her and Oyster to watch a movie this weekend." She told him while showing her phone, very excited.

"Sure, it's been a long time since the last time we saw them, it'll be fun." Max said, agreeing the invitation.

They haven't seen their best friends for over a year. When they went to attend to Hero University they had to move to Metroburg, but they used to travel back to Hiddenville to visit them together. When they became full time superheroes, they were forced to reduce their visits to only a weekend per month, even now that they were practically living in the same city.

That's reason Max didn't hesitate to accept Cherry's invitation, because sometimes those sporadic reunions with their old friends from high school were just what they needed to bring some "normality" to their busy life. But in all this time being together, Max and Phoebe discovered how much they enjoyed watching movies together.

"Okay, I'll tell her we're in." An enthusiastic Phoebe said, without taking her hands off the phone.

After saying that, she turned around and got back to the living room. She walked to those big windows with an incredible look of the whole city, and once she finished sending her message to Cherry, she placed her phone on a little table next ot the window.

Sometimes Phoebe enjoyed sitting on the floor in front of those big windows for hours, just to watch the shining lights at the distance. But now she was standing in front of the windows, and her eyes were lost in those big buildings and illuminated houses. She frequently tried to find some funny figures using the lights to join the dots, but she always failed doing that, because every time she tried someone appeared behind her back, and interrupted her little game.

And that's exactly what happened, because at that very moment, two strong arms were slowly slipping around her waist, as she felt someone getting close to ehr. When there was no distance between them, she felt a soft breathing on her neck. Eventually, a pair of warm lips started to passionately kiss her.

Soon the hands of this mysterious man were sliding up until getting dangerously close to her breasts, but they didn't go any further because out of nowhere, her hands stopped him in his tracks, but not to reject his caresses, because with one single move, they intertwined their fingers as though trying to make this moment last forever.

All of a sudden, the blue-orange cape she was using fell to the floor, and the kisses she was receiving on her neck were getting more and more passionate at every second. But then the kisses stopped, and one of the man's hands traveled all the way to the girl's back. Soon the small zip from her suit began to go down very slowly, and those passionate kisses continued.

That's when Phoebe arched her neck to the left, perfectly knowing who was kissing her, and in the midst of a sea of sensations, on the verge of losing her breath, the girl could only say:

"I love you Max Thunderman."

 **To be continued...**


	2. The meanness of strangers

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

 _"Thank you Thundertwins, for making this city, a safer place to live."_

For over a year, the Thundertwins have been protecting Hiddenville from the villains and criminals that started to arrive after Dark Mayhem's attack in 2016. Now their popularity on the news is growing, and so their strike of victories against crime. But things have not only changed for Thunderboy and Thundergirl, because the lifes of Max and Phoebe Thunderman have also changed a lot during all this time.

"I can't believe we graduated from High School 5 years ago and now..." Phoebe said, lowering her eyes and letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, and here we are now, about to go out to the city and kick some butts." Max replied, after crossing his arms in front of her.

They've been living together in an apartment they rented at Hiddenville Urban Zone, which they used for planning their missions. Nothing bad happened to them until last night, when Max and Phoebe received an alert from the T-Force that lead them to Hidenville Galleria to stop some jewel thieves.

"Sorry... Are we interrupting something?" Max ironically asked the thieves.

They easily defeated the first two of them with their powers, but as they had a hand-to-hand combat with the next two, one of them managed to hurt Phoebe by punching her in the face, which provoked Max's rage.

"Don't you ever touch her again!"

Thanks to this he was able to take down the rest of the delinquents, but contrary to what they believed, the mission was far from the end, because that's when the last of them appeared. He was the leader of the group and unlike his partners, he was carrying a powerful assault rifle he immediately shot at the twins.

"Thunder-shield!" They shouted out at the same time as they strongly hold their hands, and created a telekinetic barrier right in front of them.

Max and Phoebe were able to handle the situation by defending themselves with the shield, and even if they were close to die from those multiple gunshots, in the end they controlled the situation and stopped the guy by combining their powers. However, after the tough fight Phoebe was so weakened that Max had to carry her in his arms all the wat to the car.

"What happened with the girl? Is she okay?" One of the officers asked Max.

"She will be." He answered, not looking back.

That same night when they got back to the apartment, Max was still so worried about her because she has never gone through all of this just from using her powers, so he made an important decision; he would take her to Metroburg General Hospital by the morning.

Without a doubt, the life of the Thundertwins have changed a lot since the day they graduated from Hiddenville High, and even if they had to keep their crime-fighting lifestyle a secret at all cost, they had another secret they will need to hide from the rest of the world, even from their family.

"I love you Max Thunderman."

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 2: The meanness of strangers.**

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville Urban Zone.** **  
 **September 19, 2022, Monday.**  
 **07:28 AM****

The morning soft light was beginning to pass through the wide windows inside Phoebe's bedroom. A light breeze made the blinds move, and soon her face was being covered by that light, which made her frown in her attempts to keep sleeping, but it was too late.

This morning her long hair seemed to be more wavy than normal, and as she put her hands on her eyes to keep away from the fortuitous luminescence, she pointed her right index to those blinds and after making a gently move with her finger, she closed them with telekinesis.

Feeling more comfortable, she closed her eyes again and tried to sleep a little bit more. She was laying on her right side and the white sheets could barely cover up her body. She was only using a light piece of lingerie, and as she slightly moved on the bed, she noticed there was an arm around her waist, and it gently pulled her from behind to cuddle tightly.

There was a dark blue suit with a yellow "T" lying on the floor, but it wasn't Phoebe's because her suit was still lying in the middle of the living room since last night. The person who was lovingly hugging her was no one else but Max, her twin brother. They were both cuddling beneath the sheets again, just like a young couple.

"Wait babe, stay a little bit longer." Max requested as he caressed her belly, and kissed behind her neck.

"I wasn't leaving, I just closed the blinds." She explained with a soft voice, almost like a whisper.

There wasn't anyone on the earth that could possibly had a suspicion about what the Thunderman twins were doing since the day they moved to this apartment. For the rest of the world, they were just two superheroes fighting crime in the city. For their family and friends they were those funny twins everybody knew.

They were just some perfectly normal siblings that seemed to like arguing and bickering for anything, all the time. Without a doubt, all of their relatives could tell a funny story about any of them, but they would never believe what happened behind inside that place.

 _"I'd like to stay like this forever."_ Max suddenly thought, as he played with a lock of her hair.

"Me too." She whispered, getting close to him without even noticing what they just did.

But there was just one thing that only Max and Phoebe knew. Something anyone could ever imagined; they've been having a secret relationship for over a year, hidden from the world.

It all started one year ago, the day of their graduation. A day they will never forget.

 **Heroe's Take-Care, Metroburg.** **  
 **August 20 del 2021, Friday.**  
 **08:42 PM****

Since they end with their education at Hiddenville High in 2018, the twins have passed through a lot of things to get to this day, and they finally made it. All the family members were very proud from both of them. Hank and Barb were not able to keep the tears for themselves the moment they saw their wittle twinsies receiving their super diploma from Evelyn Kickbutt's hands.

After the ceremony was over, Max headed back to the apartment at Heroe's Take-Care to get prepared for the party they were invited some weeks ago. All of their friends were going to be there, so they would never missed it.

Santiago Hernández, a guy with the ability of rapid cell regeneration was the one who'd give this party in his apartment, so he invited all of his friends, including Max and Phoebe. He lived a couple blocks away from the campus so he frequently gave some parties on weekends. It was normal to see several people around that place.

Borned in a wealthy family at the other side of the border, he was able to rent a very expensive appartment in Metroburg. He knew everybody around the campus and every time he gave a party, he never wasted the opportunity to hurt himself with any sharpened object, just to let everybody see him bleed and heal in just a few seconds.

Phoebe had a couple classes with him and wasn't really comfortable with him showing off his powers in front of people like that, but she knew that deep down him he was a good person, and she actually liked him. As for Max... he didn't.

The party was starting at 9:00 PM but it is well known that students of their age are not used to arrive so early, so they'd surely take their time before getting there.

The Heroe's Take-Care appartments were just six blocks away from the campus. It was a 5 floors building where Max and Phoebe have been living for the last 4 years. Back in the day they thought that moving to Metroburg implied to live in separated apartments, but Hank had different plans for them. He thought it would be a lot better and cheaper if they shared the same apartment. At first the twins were not very happy, but they had no choice.

The place was not too big but it was very nice. There was a dining room, a TV they'd have to fight for, only one bathroom they'd have to use by turns all the mornings, but at least they got their own bedroom.

Max got to the apartment somewhere after midday, after going through Hank and Barb's 'photo session'. As soon as he got there he went straight to his room. He put the diploma, the cap and the gown on his desk and right after that, he laid on his bed to kill some time.

He slept for the rest of the day but thanks to his phone alarm, he woke up around 9 PM. He thought it'd fine if he get there, Once he finally left his bed, he took a shower and got prepared for the party.

Around 9 PM he was in front of the mirror buttoning his black shirt, and after putting on his black leather jacket, he heard his phone ringing. He walked to his desk to grab it and as soon as he unlocked it, he saw it was President KickButt, who had already left several lost calls.

"Yeah?" Max said as he listened to Evelyn at the other side of the phone. "I'm sorry I was... kind of busy. No, of course I wasn't sleeping Evelyn...!" He tried to explain, pretending to laugh in a nervous way. "I mean... President Kickbutt. Phoebe? I don't know, she must be with one of her friends, why?"

He kept listening to her as he seated on the bed. In a just a few seconds the expression on his face started to change to the point he could barely hide his happiness, so he stood up immediately.

"Are you serious? Does Phoebe know yet?" He asked after listening what seemed to be good news. "Of course! I'm looking for her right now. Thank you President Kickbutt. Bye." He hang off the phone and ran out of his room, very excited.

Once he closed his door he headed to the entrance, but as he walked through the living room, he saw a diploma, a cap and a gown laying on the couch. Without a doubt those things were Phoebe's, so he thought that maybe she came to the apartment while he was sleeping, and without thinking twice he turned around and went to her room.

He knocked at her door several times with his right fit. He was so impatient for telling his sister the good news, but she never showed up. He knocked the door again and nothing. That's when he thought she may just drop by the apartment to leave her things and then left somewhere else, but just to make sure he knocked the door for the third time, while saying out loud:

"Phoebe, are you in there? I've got something to tell you." Max announced, waiting for her answer.

"Later, okay? I'm busy." She replied very sharply.

"I thought you were gone. Come on I've seen you hundreds of times with that avocado mask you insist on using, open up okay?" He insisted, knocking at the door one more time.

"I said no!" She firmly shouted out, leaving a serious look on his face.

When Max heard her voice he started to think she was mad for something, but then he remembered he haven't pulled any prank on her in years. There was no reason for her to be mad at him, or at least not in a special day for both of them. There had to be something else.

A part of him wanted to turn around and go to the party alone, but for some reason he decided to stay, as though he was waiting for her to change her mind.

He waited for some seconds and out of nowhere, the door slowly opened and Phoebe appeared right in front of him. Max noticed that the makeup she used for the ceremony was already fading away, and her hair looked a little messed up. Soon he saw she was wearing her pajamas like she wasn't planning to go to the party, and if he didn't know her so well he wouldn't have noticed that her eyes were tearful. Definitely something weird was going on.

All of a sudden Max compeltely forgot about the party. He even forgot to tell her that President Kickbutt assigned both of them as the protectors of Hiddenville. All he cared about right now was to find out what happened to his sister.

"Hi... Can I come in?" He inquired with a serious tone of voice.

"Y-Yeah... come in." She doubly agreed, while opening the door completely so he could get in.

Max walked inside of the room and then Phoebe went to her desk. It was inevitable for Max not taking a look around the place. The first thing he noticed was that all of her things were out of place, something weird for a responsable girl like her. But what definitely got his attention was the little trash bin in the middle of the room, because there was smoke coming out of it.

Phoebe didn't say anything, she just stood there without knowing what to do. Max couldn't stop looking at her, and every time her dark brown eyes crossed with his, she quickly ran away from them. After an awkward silence, he finally broke the ice:

"Phoebe, are you okay? What were you doing here?" He asked her, trying to understand the whole thing.

"I'm fine... and it's not important. So... what did you want to tell me?" She quickly asked, trying to change the subject of the conversation, faking the best of her smiles.

"It can wait. Phoebe I know you, I know something's going on. Please, trust me." He insisted, in an truly attempt to help her.

"It's just... if I tell you, you're gonna laugh at me." She protested while lowering her gaze.

He couldn't blame her for not trusting him, considering all those cruel pranks he used to pull on her in the past. But in the last few years he has been trying so hard to get rid of the bad reputation he built in his teenage years. Having her unconditional trust during all this years was very important for him. He would never make fun of her at this point, but Phoebe felt that she had to think twice before telling certain things to him.

"I promise I won't." Max assured her.

"You have to Thundertwin swear." She immediately demanded, rising up her face.

Max couldn't help but remember the first time they made this nonexistent swear. He was the one who came up with it at that moment to let Phoebe know he was trying to hide something very important for him, and now that she was the one asking for it, he was sure it had to be something very important too, so he immediately accepted.

"Sure, I Thundertwin swear." He seriously stated, rising up his right hand as a promise.

"Well it's... It's about Link." She began to say, running away from his look.

"What did that moron do now?" He asked, visibly annoyed

"Well... remember we went to the prom together? Well... I wanted to know if he could come to the party with me, but since he never answered my calls or messages on Chirper, I thought he was in trouble, so I went to see Abigail, remember her? The technopath girl from Intelligence class, well after the ceremony I asked her to help me find Link by using her powers and..." She tried to explain, but she had to stop because her voice was breaking.

"And... what did Abby find?" He curiously asked, without knowing where she was going to.

"Well, she... she found out Link was not being completely honest with me because... he's has been dating Quinn Murphy for many years. Remember her? His 'best friend'." Phoebe said, remarking the last part by motioning with her fingers.

He could barely believe what she was saying. Phoebe dated him for over a year and all that time he just heard about how good he was. He even turned into a superhero before both of them. That's why when Max heard that he has cheated his sister, he tried to get things better.

"Wait, are you telling me that he dated lady bug before you two started your relationship?" He asked her in astonishment, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

"No actually... they were dating when we were still together." Phoebe needed to take a breath, so after filling up her lungs, she continued: "Max, he was cheating on me." She confessed while crossing the arms and lowering her face again.

"I'm sorry Phoebe." He replied the moment he saw the seriousness she pronounced the last words with.

Suddenly Phoebe didn't found it weird to hear her brother saying that, because in the last few years he went from being that annoying brother he always wanted to bicker, to become that sweet and nice brother she missed so much since their childhood. It was like if they were recovering all the time they lost.

But seeing her twin standing right in front of her, and listening to what she had to say, was something very important for her. She even felt bad for thinking he wanted to make fun of her.

"It's not your fault Max, it doesn't matter now it's just..." Phoebe tried to explain but she felt so overwhelmed for the situation, that she decided to turn around. That way she could keep talking without having to look him in the eyes. "I don't understand why people do these things." She added with a mournful voice.

She was pretending she didn't care but Max knew it was a lie, because even if they broke up many years ago, it was the longest relationship she has ever had, and he was sure that in a given moment Phoebe must have thought that Link was the perfect man. But finding out the truth right now, was very upsetting.

"It really worth it to lose the party to come here and burn the hell out all the things he gave me." She suddenly said, trying to hide her fragile tone of voice. "At least we didn't have..." She immediately stopped talking, hoping he won't guess what she was about to say.

Max felt like he had to do something to make her feel better, so he slowly walked to her and took her right hand very gently. Then he made her turn around to look her in the eyes, but after having a better look on her face, he noticed some tears running down her cheeks. At that very moment he knew exactly what he had to say:

"Phoebe he doesn't deserve any of your tears." He assured with a serious voice, and then he tried to dry the tears from her cheeks with his own hands. He really hated to see her like that.

"I know and... it's been years since we broke up but, I thought he actually loved me." She clarified, getting more relaxed by being so close to him.

"He has no idea of what he lost. Don't be sad Phoebe, I'm sure every guy would literally kill to be with you." Max assured her with the most sincere look his eyes could give. He didn't even took his hands out of her face. He just couldn't.

"Really?" She inquired with a soft smile.

"Of course. And if I wasn't your brother... I." He tried to say but just when he realized what he was about to say, he immediately stopped.

Shortly after, they stood there without even moving a muscle. They haven't realized yet but in the last few seconds, the distance between them was getting shorter. Their faces were getting blush at this point. They've never been this close from each other, and their heartbeats were considerably stronger now. There was no human power that could make them stop looking at each other.

"If you weren't..." Phoebe said, waiting for him to finish what he was going to say. His hands were still cupping her cheeks and she rushed to cover them with hers, just to feel that particular warmness. He didn't say any single word.

There was something in their eyes that got attracted to each other, just like the opposite poles of magnets. It was like they suddenly felt so attracted and no matter how much they tried, they couldn't fight it. They already felt this before, but not like they did right now. Their hearts have never beaten so fast that they could barely hear them beating at the same time.

Soon their faces were getting closer. They couldn't even blink at that time, all they felt was the soft contact of their hands together. After some seconds they felt like infinite, they lowered their eyes to look at each other's lips, with a starving curiosity.

That's when their lips joined in a warm and unexpected kiss that made them close their eyes immediately. None of them could realize what they were doing at that very moment, they didn't care actually.

Phoebe placed her arms around his neck, and Max slipped his arms around her waist. Their lips were so busy exploring every millimeter from each other. It was like they have been waiting for years to get to this moment.

Eventually, everything around them just disappeared. Nothing was left from those sweet twins that were born and raised in Metroburg together. Now they were just a man and a woman kissing in the apartment they've been sharing for the last 4 years.

It all started with a kiss.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville Urban Zone.** **  
 **September 19, 2022, Monday.**  
 **07:34 AM****

Now they were there, sharing a moment they wanted to last forever. Being like this was one of their favorite things to do; waking up together and stay like that for hours. His arm was still around her waist, and when Max felt like she was falling asleep, he searched for Phoebe's hand and intertwined their fingers while kissing her neck.

He couldn't stop hugging her. Every night they slept together they behave like they haven't seen each other for years, even if they've been all day long together. Nothing was ever enough for the twins. They just needed each other like the air they breathe.

"Get back to sleep honey." Phoebe requested, slowly closing her eyes and getting closer to him.

"Yeah right... how do I know that you won't get up after I fall asleep?" Max asked, directly whispering to her ear.

"Because after tonight... I Thunderswear I'm dead." The young girl confessed, joyfully.

This caused Max to let out a smile, after remembering the night they spent together. The twins were so tired and not because of the tough fight they had at the Royal Key. They only slept for a couple hours since they entered the room, and waking up so soon was making it hard for them to keep their eyes open.

"I hope not enough to make those delicious pancakes before going to work." Max replied, trying to convince her like so many times.

"You're so cute honey, but you know they're horrible." She confessed, smiling for his sweet compliment.

"What are you talking about? They're the best I've ever ate." He assured her, provoking a new smile on the girl's face.

Just like they did with Thunderman and Electress, the Hero League was covering most of their expenses, like the apartment they rented at Delta Tower, the computers, and other things However, the twins managed to find a job at Centri-k Cinema, a well-known movie theater in the heard of the city.

From Monday to Friday they had the responsibility of projecting all the movies played during their turn, from 12 PM to 10 PM. Some days they really had a lot of work, especially on Fridays but they were happy working together in that place, because when no one was watching they did nothing more than kissing for hours inside of the projections room. Their co-workers didn't even know they were siblings.

"Okay, okay, I'll make those pancakes for you before going to work." She promised him, firmly holding his hand.

"That's my girl." He whispered before kissing her neck very gently.

 **10:44 AM**

Almost three hours later the twins were still sleeping together, cuddling like there was no tomorrow. When the Hero League found this apartment for them, they had their own room with a full-size bed. At first they tried to sleep in their own bedrooms but they couldn't, they simply couldn't bear to be apart.

After some days they began sleeping together, either Max's room or Phoebe's, but they still had to pretend they used their own bedrooms every time the family drop by to visit them, specially Chloe, who had no idea how much she scared the twins every time she teleported to the apartment.

When they weren't outside protecting the city, the twins loved to cuddle on the couch and watch some movies together. Romantic films, action-packed movies, thrillers... the list was endless.

But in more than one occasion they had to pretend in front of Chloe, because the little girl used to appear in the middle of the living room to play with them. She loved to stay there and sleep because they always take her to get some ice cream by the morning, and it was normal for people to mistake them for a young family.

And even if they loved their little sister, she was the main reason Max decided to install a displacement locking system, in order to prevent teleportations inside of the apartment, and every person who tried to do it, would end up in front of the door.

The only excuse Max was able to give their parents was: _"Hey what if there's a villain out there with Chloe's ability. I prefer not to take the risk."_ This temporary solved the problem, or at least it did until the little girl grew up a little more and began focusing her attention on other things, like cooking.

That's how Max and Phoebe finally had the entire apartment just for themselves. Since they were twin siblings it was impossible someone suspected that there was not a single night where they didn't sleep together. Their family relation was the perfect alibi.

They preferred to have a queen-size bed, but right now they had to get used to what they got to keep up appearences. Although not everything was so bad, because having beds designed for only one person, was the perfect excuse to cuddle all night while sleeping, just like they were right now.

The white sheets were practically wrapped around their bodies, and could barely hide their nudity. Phoebe was at Max's left hugging his chest very tightly, and his arm was all around her, lovingly hugging her. Their hands were still joined with their fingers intertwined.

But something weird was happening inside of the room. Their bodies were not laying on the bed, because now they were 3 ft in the air. They've levitating for more than an hour, and it wasn't the first time this happened to them. When they were both in a deep dream, they suddenly started floating together and stayed like that all night. None of them realized this until they woke up in the morning.

The first time this happened they thought they were developing Hank's flight power, but no matter how hard they tried to do it by themselves, they just couldn't. After one month or two, they found out that this awkward levitation was nothing more than another use of their telekinesis.

Somehow, they were able to make their powers grow by being together for so long, and their ability allowed them to levitate together. They were so excited and eager to tell their family, but due to the special conditions in which they discovered what could do, they decided not to tell anyone.

They looked so peacefuly sleeping toghether as they hugged each other. They always tried to be together all the time, no matter what. Actually, if it wasn't for the job they surely would've preferred to be like that all day long. That's why they always waited impatiently for the weekends, so they could recover all the time they lost.

And as the twins drawn a smile on their faces after dreaming about their first kiss, out of nowhere the peaceful moment was interrupted when they heard a loud noise coming from the living room. A very familiar sound:

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

They abruptly woke up and looked around them without fully understand what was going on. It only took them one second to find that out, and that's when they realized they weren't on the bed like they thought. For the tenth time in this month, they were levitating together.

"Oh no... Again!" They told to each other at the same time.

They immediately fell on the bed, with Phoebe on the top of him, but they lever let each other go. And as they kept hearing the alert at the distance, they quickly tried to think about something.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

"Damn!" Phoebe exclaimed without even knowing what to do.

"Come on babe! Put your clothes on!" He rushed to say while standing up from the bed.

"Here! Go answer the call, I'll find something!" She immediately replied while throwing his super suit at him, and then she ran to her closet to find something, anything.

Taking the sheets off of him, Max started to get dressed as fast as he could, something he has never done before, not even for the night patrols. As for Phoebe, she quickly opened one of her drawers and grabbed the first thing she found. The Thunder-Monitor was still repeating the same alert over and over again, making their nerves grow.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt... And she's getting angry."_

Once he put on his black pants, Max was finally ready to accept the call. He would've loved to brag in front of Phoebe how awesome he was for hacking the monitor's software to prevent it from automatically accepting the transmissions, but there will be time for that. Right now he had to run to the living room and answer the call.

After he got there, he took the remote and pressed the "Ok" button. In less than a second, President Kickbutt appeared on the screen.

"Max? Just when I thought I'd grow old before I could see this day. The day where you answer one of my calls instead of your sister." Evelyn ironically commented.

After hearing what she said, Max immediately thought about a couple jokes about President Kickbutt's age, and he was dying to tell them out loud, but that was the old Max. He just hold back and decided to improvise a more educated answer.

"Yeah well... Ta-da!" He exclaimed, raising the arms in surprise.

"Anyway, is your sister with you?" Evelyn questioned, completely ignoring his sense of humor.

"Yeah she's... in her bedroom, she... she must be on her way." Max tried to explain as he looked at Phoebe's bedroom, waiting for her to come.

"I hope so, because I got something very important you need to know. By the way... about last night, good job. We already got those thieves in custody and we're still investigating them. We have reasons to believe there's some fishy business going on behind the jewelry robbery." Evelyn seriously stated.

"That's exactly what Phoebe and I believed. Judging by their _modus operandi,_ they didn't look like professionals until they pulled out their guns." He explained while crossing the arms.

"Infinity Pistols caliber .45, too sophisticated. We're trying to locate one of our ex-agents, Lillian Andrews. She's a telepath who worked for the Hero League back in the 90's. Maybe she can help us get whatever these morons are hiding in their useless minds." She explained while consulting the laptop on her desk.

Without a doubt, agent Andrews would be so helpful in situations like this. She worked as a Special Agent in the Intelligence division between 1992 and 2004. She was in charge of interrogating criminals and helping heroes to get information form the worst villains. After 12 years of service, she decided to get retired in October 2004 when she decided to get married and become a mother.

"In the meantime we already sent the report to the police, oh by the way, the owner of the Royal Key is really mad with the person who froze his beloved store, but he's so thankful too because he was able to..." Evelyn began to tell, but she immediately stopped when she saw Phoebe appearing next to Max.

"Good morning President." She greeted with a nervous smile.

She was able to get dressed with one of her pajamas. Small cotton shorts and a light tank top, was the first thing she found in her desperation to get dressed very quickly. She also tried to fix her hair in front of the mirror, but she terribly failed.

"Phoebe, is your alarm clock broken? I hope it is considering its past..." Evelyn was going to say one of her sarcastic comments, but she stopped in her tracks after seeing something that caught her attention. "Uhm... Are you okay Phoebe? What happen in your face?" She seriously asked, without taking her eyes off the bruise on her cheek.

"Are you talking about this? It's nothing, just perks of the job." Phoebe assured her after putting one hand on the face. "I don't even... Ouch!" She groaned after touching her cheek.

"One of the animals you have in custody hit her. When we beat them up she was so tired that I had to take her back to the car." Max began to explain, after looking at his sister straight to her eyes.

The last thing she wanted was to make everyone worried for no reason, especially her family. After Max told President Kickbutt all about the last night's incident, Phoebe got tempted to telekinetically close his lips, but she didn't do it. She couldn't blame him for trying to protect her. It must've been really hard for him to see her like that.

"But I'm fine, I don't think I..." Phoebe tried to say but she was interrupted right away.

"Max, I want you to bring her to Metroburg's General Hospital. I'll send Dr. Ouch to get her checked." Evelyn commanded, without even listening to Phoebe's excuses.

"That's exactly what I was going to do. Consider it done." Max agreed, provoking a disliking gesture on Phoebe.

"All right. Now, I called you to inform something very important. In the last few months we've been investigating some of the criminal groups around the city. Remember the robbery at Hiddenville's Bank? Well, we believed it was just a distraction because at the same time, my recognition team detected high levels of plasma in an abandoned textile factory near the limits of your city."

When they heard the word 'plasma', the twins immediately shared a serious look. It was inevitable for them not to think about the worst villain of all times. The one they defeated some years ago and they thought they've never face again.

"When they checked the surveillance cameras from the surrounding places, they saw some green flashes and explosions coming from the inside. Obviously what they saw was plasmakinesis, a power you already know." Evelyn told them with a serious tone of voice they didn't remember listening before.

"Dark Mayhem?" Phoebe inquired in a worried tone of voice.

It doesn't matter if they defeated this terrible villain a long time ago, Max and Phoebe were so worried after realizing he could've possible escaped from prison. That night at the prom he almost turned Max against his own family and friends, but things were very different now. With the Thundertwins working together, they shouldn't have any problem to stop him, but there was no reason to underestimate him either.

"No, that's not him. As you well know, when you defeated that bastard 6 years ago, we put him in a maximum security prison for villains. There's no way he can escape from that hole without powers. That's why we started investigating common robbers. If they really are a distraction maybe they can lead us to whoever is behind all of this. They're just pawns in this but they must know something." She kept explaining as the twins were listening very carefully.

"How can we help?" Max asked her taking a step forward.

"We still need to investigate more but I can tell you part of the plan; Phoebe is going to protect the city while you're in the streets trying to get infiltrated in one of those criminal bands. You're gonna help us to investigate what are they planning but most importantly, who's the criminal mind behind. Do you think you can do this Max? Go undercover as a bad boy one more time?" President Kickbutt asked after explaining their part of the plan.

"Yeah, of course I can." Max assured her with one of his classic smiles.

Phoebe immediately looked at him and after noticing the expression on his face, she quickly shared a smile with him. In an instant she rememebered one of their first missions. Max had to go undercover to stop a dangerous villain, and thanks to him they succeeded.

She knew her brother so well to ignore that he loved to play villains, and his face was a proof of it. Phoebe was so happy for him, but these kind of missions were a little worrying too, because they could be so dagerous for any involved hero, and she didn't want to lose him in the line of duty.

"Perfect. I'll tell you more when we have all the information we need to start with the mission. For now I need Phoebe's medical checkup report before midday. Super President Kickbutt..." Evelyn tried to say good bay in her own way, but she had to stop talking after she saw something very interesting.

"Is that you super suit over there Phoebe?" She questioned while motioning with her finger to the suit laying on the floor.

"Uhm... yeah it's just... it's... it's laundry day!" Phoebe nervously explained as she began to make that giggling that always revealed her lies.

"Well I hope you don't acquire your brother's bad habits. Super President Kickbutt, out." Evelyn concluded while pressing a button to end the transmission.

After the TV went off, the twins were standing in the middle of the living room, next to each other as though they were trying to assimilate what they could face in the future.

"Well, it looks like we're gonna have to eat those pancakes later, right babe?" Max asked her, after turning to face her.

"I'm sorry honey." Phoebe apologized, perfectly knowing that there was no way to escape from the medical check-up.

 **Delta Tower's parking lot, Hiddenville Urban Zone.** **  
11:50 AM**

Some hours later the sun was rising in the sky and the clouds were covering the whole city. A soft breeze could be perceived among the streets, and a rain seemed to be getting closer. But far away from those dark clouds, three persons suddenly appeared in the middle of a solitary place.

"Remember Chloe, you can't tell anyone about this." Phoebe reminded her little sister, after being teleported in parking lot, right in front of the Thundercar.

"Sure, don't worry babies. See ya." The little girl agreed, waving her hand to say good by at them and soon after, she disappeared in front of them.

"You think she's gonna say anything?" Max immediately asked, a little bit worried.

"Absolutely not. She loves to keep secrets, besides... we're her favorites." Phoebe stated, trusting in her integrity.

Thanks to Chloe the twins were able to get to Metroburg in the blink of an eye, but Phoebe didn't want her parents to know about the visit to the hospital, so she made Chloe promise she wouldn't say anything to anyone.

After seeing Dr. Ouch they found out she was healthy, but hasn't been sleeping so well lately. The good news was that the bruise on her face would disappear in just a few days. As for her tiredness, she just had to get some sleep and she'll be like new. Max was astonished when he heard the diagnosis, and he wanted to talk to Phoebe as soon as possible, but he decided to wait a little bit.

"Hey look what time it is." Max suddenly said after looking at his smartwatch. "I think we're gonna be late for work today." He added right away.

"We totally forgot about asking Chloe to teleport us to the cinema. We'll have to go in the car." She replied with a glance of regret.

There was nothing they could do about it. They didn't want to call Chloe again because she already skipped one of her classes to help them. Fortunately for them, Centri-k Cinema wasn't too far away from the building, so they should be arriving in just a few minutes. They quickly got in the car and once they left the building, Max took the main avenue.

As they drove by Millbrook avenue, Max finally found the perfect moment to talk to her. They were in a vehicle in motion, so Phoebe wouldn't have other choice but giving an explanation.

"I can't believe you only slept 2 hours per day in the last week." Max suddenly said, without taking his eyes out of the long road.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I've been thinking a lot lately... about... about us, Max." Phoebe confessed, lowering her gaze.

He had no idea this was the reason for her lack of sleep. He already felt she was acting werid but he thought it was just the pressure of being full-time superheroes. When they started their relationship, they had to deal with those awkward feelings of fear and guilt every time they felt the imperious need to express their love.

The strong connection between them allowed to get rid of those feelings, especially the one behind that condemned word they never liked to pronounce; incest.

"We started our relationship about a year ago, and I swear I've never been so happy but... but then I think about our family and... no matter how hard we try, we can't hide our feelings forever." She confessed with a nervous voice. He turned to face her very quick and tried to keep driving.

"But back then we agreed that hiding our relationship was the best thing to do." Max tried to convince her, but her eyes seemed to be eager to say something else.

"I know, and it sounded pretty logic for me at that time, but I think we should start think about our future, Max. It's not enough to keep Chloe out of the apartment, or pretending we fight in front of our family. Soon or later, we're gonna have to tell them that we love each other, that we can't live apart... and I'm not sure they'll understand." She explained with fear in the eyes.

Then a deep silence grew up inside of the vehicle. They were just a few blocks away from the cinema and none of them seemed to be talking any time soon. That's when Max decided to end with the uncomfortable moment:

"I think we should talk about this later in the night." He suggested, trying to find a better moment to talk about their relationship. After all, Phoebe was not the only one who has been thinking about it. "I promise we're gonna find a way to solve this together. All right?" He asked, taking Phoebe's hand to hold it tightly.

"All right Max." She agreed, holding his hand too.

And so, holding each other's hands, they made it to the cinema's parking lot. For some reason this small contact between them has always been enough to calm them down. It's like being together would make them feel better, forget about their problems, and they only focused on each other. They didn't know it yet, but they would discover more about their connection very soon. Something about their 'twin thing'.

"I love you." Max expressed, not being able to stop looking at the eyes of the person he loved the most.

"I love you too." She replied, giving a beautiful smile to the man she considered the love of her life.

 **Volt-N-Save, near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **10:37 PM****

That night, miles away from the city in an abandoned place, a group of people dressed up with black tactical suits were walking into a building that used to be a power plant in the past. All those persons were wearing black ski mask, making it impossible to know who they really were. There were four men and a woman waking behind another guy that was leading them to the stairs.

They walked through the dark hallways with determination and went across a room with some people in front of their computers, working very hard on what seemed to be an intense recognition activity. Once they got to the last floor, they walked inside of the room and stopped behind the man that has been leading them.

Some old machines were still around the place, and they surely must have had better times a couple decades ago. Those old machines along with the multiple ruins all over the room, just made it look even more terrifying than it already was.

At the end of the room, they saw two big windows with an excellent view of the far away city, and a guy was standing right in the middle. His silhouette was barely recognizable due to the lack of light, but it was enough for them to know that this man was not a random person.

Some muttering could be heard around the place, but everything went to silence when they were told to get close to that man, but he didn't even bothered in turning around to face them. He already knew what they were doing there.

"So... these are the new elements you found, Hamilton?" The mysterious man cuestioned with a deep voice.

"Yes sir, the best we could get." The guy that lead the group quickly replied.

"You got some news about last night's strike?" He asked that man, who seemed to be the second in command.

"Yeah. Unfortunately... they were captured." Hamilton confirmed the bad news to his boss.

After hearing his answer, the guy turned around and he finally saw all those persons several feet away from him. His sole presence was enought for them to stay still in their places, without even moving a muscle. They were so nervous.

"Let me guess... the Thundertwins." The guy with the deep voice stated, showing how angry he was.

"Yes." Hamilton confirmed, putting the head down with respect.

The anger this man began to express could only be described as a loud roar that echoed back from the walls. In the middle of a dense darkness, all those six persons were able to see two shining green lights that seemed to come from the face of this dark silhouette, and they quickly looked down the floor. That was the impact this person had over the people around him.

"Now tell me, which one of you is the special one?" The mysterious man suddenly asked, directly speaking to the group of people in front of him.

"It's me sir." One of them replied, taking a step forward.

"Name and ability." He demanded him.

"They call me Chameleon. I'm a shapeshifter." He quickly replied, with assertiveness in his voice.

None of those persons seemed to be over 40 years old, and certainly the guy who identified himself as 'Chameleon' was way more younger than the others. He claimed to have the ability of shapeshifting, a very weird power and considerably dangerous in the wrong hands. Without a doubt, that was exactly what this man was looking for.

"Interesting. I understand that you are a very skilled fighter too. You defeated three of my best elements the first time they approached to you, including my right hand here, Hamilton." The mysterious man explained.

"Yes sir." The young man confirmed.

"I'm always looking for the best elements for my team, so Hamilton..." He began to explain while turning around to face his loyal partner. "You'll understand that your services will no longer be required." He ironically concluded.

"What?" Hamilton asked, a little bit nervous.

"It's time for your retirement." He assured him, taking a step forward.

That's when the soft light coming from the windows let everyone see that he was using a black-gray mask, perfectly remarking those shinning green lights. And in an instant those eyes started to glow and shot two powerful plasma rays, covering the entire place with an intense green light, as everyone saw in horror how that poor man was being disintegrated in front of their eyes.

There was nothing Hamilton could do to stop the horrible pain he was feeling, and all he could do was letting out a desperate scream that deafened everyone in the room. Some seconds later the screams stopped, and there was only a pile of smoking ashes scattered all over the floor.

"Listen to me. From now on you'll do anything I tell you, no argument. Anyone who disagree or stop being useful for me will end up turned into dust, like this moron on the floor. I assure you that I didn't chose you randomly, I know everything about you, your successes, your fails, your ambitions... your fears, everything. Stay by my side and I promise you'll get anything you've ever wanted, but betray me, and I guarantee you'll get to know the true meaning of pain. What do you say?" He questioned all of them, looking straight at them.

"Sir." All of them replied at the same time, keeling before him with their heads down.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, this path will not be easy but I'm sure about one thing; soon the world is going to witness the fall of the Thundertwins." He stated with determination. "Get up" He ordered them.

They immediately did what he said, placing their arms behind their backs, just like an army. Once they were standing side by side, the man got close to them and said:

"You can call me Dark Slaughter."

 **To be continued...**


	3. The sins of the brother

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

 _"I'd like to stay like this forever."_ Max thought, as he played with Phoebe's hair.

Since the day the Thundertwins were assigned to protect Hiddenville, they've been keeping their city safe from crime. All the citizens are very grateful for having them as their saviors, and they've made people feel safer to get out of their house. But there's one thing no one could ever suspect from them; they have a secret relationship.

"Me too." She whispered, getting closer to him.

Their lives have completely changed since last year, the day they graduated from Hero University and kissed for the first time. Now the twins are living together in one of the apartments of the urban zone, and their relationship was just getting stronger since then.

But as they're living their forbidden love hidden form the world, they're still trying to focus on their lives as superheroes, something they've done very well so far. They have helped with the capture of some dangerous villains, or just common robbers.

"We already have all the 5 thieves and we're still investigating them. We're trying to locate one of our ex-agents, Lillian Andrews, she's a telepath. We have reasons to believe there's some fishy business going on behind the jewelry robbery." Evelyn seriously stated.

The morning after the events at the Royal Key, President Kickbutt contacted the twins to let them know her suspicions about the robbery, and she's not the only one because her team agreed with her theory that the recent crime activity in Hiddenville is not just a coincidence, and someone must be planning all this.

"That's exactly what Phoebe and I thought." Max explained, crossing his arms.

"My recognition team detected high levels of plasma near the limits of the city. When they checked the surveillance cameras, they saw some green flashes and explosions coming from the inside. Plasmakinesis." Evelyn told them, with a serious tone of voice.

With a possible danger they'd be facing in the not too distant future, Max and Phoebe could only wait for Evelyn's instructions. But no matter the situation they face, they would be ready to fight against anything, together.

In the other hand, after learning the hit she received last night wouldn't have side effects, Phoebe revealed Max the reason of her lack of sleep, which made them start thinking about the future of their relationship.

"Soon or later Max, we're gonna have to tell them that we love each other. And... I'm not sure they'll understand." Phoebe explained, lowering her eyes and letting out a big sigh.

Fighting for their love won't be easy for them, but if that meant they will live without hiding their feelings, definitely they were ready to take the risk.

But far away from there, in the limits of Metroburg, a dark and unknown force is growing up. It's patiently waiting, hidden in the shadows as it maps out a master plan with one single goal:

"Soon the world is going to witness the fall of the Thundertwins." He stated with a deeper voice.

"You can call me Dark Slaughter."

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 3: The sins of the brother.**

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **October 15, 2022, Saturday.**  
 **05:45 PM****

Almost one month later, the thing about the Thunderman twins was better than ever. That Monday of September, when they got from work, they spent a long time talking about the future of their relationship.

Max realized that Phoebe was right, they could try all they wanted, but they couldn't spent all their lives hiding their feelings, and no matter how risk it was for them to hide this secret, or how funny was to fake some fights in front of the family and friends, soon or later someone would have suspicions about them and they'd get caught. That's what kept them so worried.

Every time they visit their parent's house, they suddenly found themselves doing some crazy things, like throwing secret looks at each other, kissing with an intense passion when nobody was watching, or holding hands when someone walked away from them. Most of the times, it was Max who gave the first step by provoking her, and she wasn't able to fight it. They perfectly knew they shouldn't risk like that, but they couldn't help it. They needed each other.

In time, they learned to control their emotions so anybody could have a hint of their relationship, because they were afraid that one day, Chloe's curious eyes will catch them in a difficult situation they couldn't explain.

That's the reason they made a promise that night, one that could change the future of their relationship completely, but for now, they could stop thinking about it and just focus on the present.

That Saturday Max and Phoebe were at the living room. They frequently went on city patrols by night but yet, they were always ready to go out very quickly in case of emergency, no matter what time is it, that's why they kept the Thunder-Monitor close to them, just in case. Things were so calmed that day in Hiddeville, thus they decided to do one of the things they loved the most; watching movies all day.

For once, they had an opportunity to relax just a little bit and spend a good time together. Since it was weekend, they wore comfortable clothes. Max was wearing a simple t-shirt and some loose sweatpants, and Phoebe chose a light tank top and a pair of shorts. Her long wavy hair was tied in a ponytail.

She was seated in the couch, waiting for Max to check at the Bluray collection they had on the shelves. He was still looking at the titles, trying to find the first movie they'll watch:

"Batman: The Dark Knight, Sharknado 10: The Evolution, The Punisher, Transformers, or maybe... this one." He asked to his sister, showing one of the boxes he took from the shelves.

"Cheater, you read my mind." Phoebe replied, smiling from the couch.

What Phoebe said would have been just a simple expression, if it weren't for the events occurred some weeks ago. The night the twins went to the movies with Cherry and Oyster, they found out something weird.

 **Hiddenville's Movie Theather.** **  
 **September 24, 2022, Saturday.**  
 **09:21 PM****

Just like they promised, that Saturday Max and Phoebe went to the movies with their friends. They were really excited with this idea, considering they haven't seen each other for months. For Cherry and Oyster it was just a friend's reunion. For the twins, it was nothing more than a double date.

They had to see their friends at Hidenville's Movie Theater, so they drove all the way back to the suburbs until they found themselves in that particular place, where they tried to separate the group of friends they built with Gideon and Kelsey. Now, 8 years later they were in this place again, but not to see 'Zombie Rain 5', but to see 'Gotham City Sirens', which they've been waiting for months.

Unfortunately the traffic between both cities was horrible, so the twins made out there too late, and they barely had enough time to buy some popcorns and soda.

"We should ask Chloe to bring us here." Max complained as he walked through the hallways next to Phoebe, with a bucket full of popcorns.

"Yeah but she would've stay to watch the movie with us, remember is not for kids." She replied, right before taking his phone out of her pocket.

"I know. I just hope it hasn't started yet." He expressed, walking faster.

"Cherry texted me, she said they're inside the theater." Phoebe informed him, showing up her cell phone.

 **09:32 PM**

After finding their friends inside of the theater, they took their seats very quickly. Fortunately the movie hasn't even start yet, so they just missed the trailers. Soon after, the twins saw Cherry and Oyster putting the popcorns aside to start cuddling in their seats.

They got really jealous after seeing this because they couldn't do the same thing in front of their friends. They were anxious to feel that special contact they had every time they watched movies together. Unfortunately, they had to wait.

There was a time where they considered if they should tell them about their secret love, just the both of them, but after talking about this they decided not to tell anyone, not even their best friends.

And as they were seated next to each other, the only thing Max and Phoebe were able to do was to hold their hands. They were in the middle of darkness anyway, nobody could see them.

Soon after, during one of the scenes something curious happened.

 _"Wow! Harley Quinn really looks sexy."_ Max thought while seeing Margot Robbie on the screen, changing her clothes during one scene.

"What did you say?" Phoebe whispered getting close to him, tightening his hand very hard.

"Ouch! I didn't say anything." Max assured, lowering his voice.

Phoebe said nothing about it, she simply killed him with her eyes and kept watching the movie. Max focused on the projection too and things were normal again.

Cherry and Oyster were able to hear their friend's were whispering, but all they saw was their best friends having one those classic fights.

"Just like old times, right?" Cherry whispered right to her boyfriend's ear.

"Yeah, is funny when they fight." Oyster replied, putting a soft smile on the blonde's face, nodding to his statement.

After that, things seemed to be quiet again, there were no sound that could be heard other than the incredible movie soundtrack. The rest of the people could barely blink before the screen.

 **10:22 PM**

After one of those scenes full with action, suddenly things got awkward:

 _"Poison Ivy is so beautiful too. But Catwoman..."_ Max said inside of his mind, without taking out his eyes off the screen, but all his thoughts were interrupted once he heard an angry voice coming from his left.

"Max stop it I can hear you!" Phoebe complained, raising up her voice, and tightening his hand again. Then she gave him a soft punch to his arm.

But after seeing his lips were not moving as he talked, she finally realized what was going on, but Phoebe was not the only one, because when he felt the girl's fit hitting on his arm, Max was now aware that she was listening to his thoughts, which took him by surprise.

They could barely focus during the rest of the film, because out of nowhere, they suddenly began to hear what the other was thinking, but funny thing, it only worked between them.

That night, the Thunderman twins discovered they were developing a new ability; telepathy, but that wasn't the first time they used it. It would take them several weeks to learn how to use this power at will, but that was a really useful ability, and definitely, they would keep practicing.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **October 15, 2022, Saturday.**  
 **05:45 PM****

Everything was ready for the movie, the lights were turned off, the T.V. was settled with the Bluray player, and the popcorns were waiting for them on the crystal table in the middle of the living room. Every time Max and Phoebe spent Saturday afternoons watching movies, they loved to make popcorns for both of them, but using the microwave constantly was being boring, so they started watching YouTube tutorials to learn how to make them the old way.

At first things didn't go that well, but soon they learned to make them faster. Also, Max taught his sister how to make popcorn with her heat breath, with such high precision, that none of the corns got burned. They loved to do things together.

After sitting on the couch the twins cuddled as always, and put the popcorn bucket between them. They always shared. The couch was big enough for both of them but they always loved to seat right in the middle, completely ignoring the empty space. Some nights they used to stay there, sleeping together, just like a young couple.

The movie chosen by Max was 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters', which they've seen more than 8 times but for some reason, they've never got bored. Maybe they felt identified with the main characters, somehow.

During one of the first scenes, before the opening credits began, something was right in the back of Max's head, and after thinking about it, he decided to let it out before the movie continued:

"Have you ever wondered if Hansel and Gretel are twins like us?" Max asked his sister, after he stopped looking at the T.V. to focus on those dark chocolate eyes.

"Well... no, actually I've never thought about it. When I was a kid I read the original book but they never let things clear, they just say they're siblings." Phoebe replied, thoughtfully looking at him.

"I prefer to think they're twins." He stated, deepening the hug.

"Yeah. Me too." Phoebe said, giving a beautiful smile to him. Then she looked at the T.V. again.

No matter how many times they've done it, Max and Phoebe always enjoyed every moment they spent together. When they cuddle like that, they completely forgot about everything else. There were no villains, missions or responsibilities, nothing was more important than keeping that special contact, and they both knew it.

The time passed and as the twins were still enjoying the film, the first action scenes began:

"She looks angry." Phoebe said, repeating Gretel's line, word for word.

"Yeah. With a face like that, I'd be angry too." Max agreed, doing the same with Hansel's

The twins have learned some of the main character's lines, and they loved to act the, while watching the T.V. That's something that never got old for them.

 _"I love that part."_ Max thought turning to face her.

 _"Me too."_ She answered inside of her mind.

Since they discovered telepathy, they immediately loved to communicate like that, even if they were inches away from each other. It was something that connected them in a very special way, and nobody else could know it. After hearing each other's thoughts, the next thing they did was sharing a smile, and kept watching the movie.

 **07:17 PM**

An hour has passed in a blink of an eye, and all this time they didn't separated, not even a second. The bucket they ate popcorns from was now empty on the couch, and as they watched the last scenes of the movie, they were still like that, twining around each other as if their lives depend on it.

They intertwined their hands and from time to time, Max rubbed his thumb around Phoebe's soft hand, and she got close to him so lovely, with a smile on her face. This small contact with her brother always gave her the chills instantly, and this time it was not exception. They looked so happy at that moment.

When the final credits began, Phoebe stood up and walked to the shelves to choose the next movie. Once she got there, she took some of the boxes and started looking them.

"Let's see... The Notebook, Titanic, If I Stay, The Fault in Our Stars..." She began to name some of her favorite titles, which were on her part of the collection, but all of a sudden she was interrupted.

"No, no, babe I don't want to fall asleep. Why don't you choose one of the movies we bought last week, I think we haven't seen all of them." Max begged, in his attempt to avoid those romantic films, which made her laugh while rolling her eyes, after seeing his desperation.

"Oh look, this is one of the movies we bought from Amazon... it's called The House Of Yes." She said, showing the bluray in her hands.

"I don't remember that one. What's it all about?" He curiously asked.

"Well... it says: 'All Marty wants is a normal life, but nothing goes as planned when his fiancée meets his far-from-normal family. His beautiful but crazy twin sister, 'Jackie-O', becomes dangerously jealous...and their younger brother, puts the moves on Marty's new love! Soon, Mother is hiding the kitchen knives... but she can't hide the family's shockingly hilarious secrets!'" Right after reading her brother the summary, she coquettishly smiled at him.

"Ok sounds interesting, put it up." He said, smiling back.

But just when Phoebe was putting the disc in the player, the T.V. switched to Thunder-Monitor mode, announcing an incoming transmission.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

"Damn! Should we answer?" He boringly asked her.

His question made Phoebe throw one of those looks that could tell him _'are you serious?'_ without even pronouncing a single word. That look that always lead her brother to think twice in any situation.

"Fine, I'll take the call." He said taking the remote from the couch, visibly annoyed.

Phoebe put the disc inside of the box and placed it on the table. In the meantime, the alert could be heard one more time:

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

Max and Phoebe got side by side in the middle of the room to stand in front of the Thunder-Monitor. Then, Max pressed the 'Ok' button on the remote to accept the transmission.

Soon after, Evelyn Kickbutt appeared on the monitor, but this time she wasn't seated at the desk in her office like most of the times, this time she called them from Hero League's operations room with a tablet in her hand, which she was using to cal them. There were 4 persons behind her back, dressing with black tactical uniforms and looking at several screens at the same time. They looked really busy.

"Hi Thundertwins. Sorry if I'm interrupting something important, but I wanted to let you know that we already have all the information we needed to start with the new mission." Evelyn explained, while holding her tablet.

As the Thundertwins were listening to her, something took their attention immediately; Kickbutt had a scar on her forehead, and her face had a strange expression they couldn't remember seeing before. Phoebe didn't hesitated to find out what happened with her, but before she could ask, the Super President rushed to say:

"And before you ask, yes, I'm fine, it's just a scratch. Now, you'll remember that some months ago we detected plasmakinetic activity near the limits of Metroburg, well that day me and my team took some cautions, so we had to confirm that the orb was still safe. We considered it was too dangerous that Dark Mayhem's powers were still contained there, so our research division took the responsibility to find a way to eliminate his powers."

"Were they able to do it?" Max asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but the bad thing is they took so much time to apply reverse engineering to the orb and re-create all the schematic diagram, including its functions. Three weeks ago they finally removed till the last trace of plasmakinesis from the orb. Unfortunately, last week there was a security breach that nobody detected until it was too late." She explained, like she was trying to let the bad news for the end.

"What happened?" Phoebe tried to inquire.

"Someone stole the orb." Evelyn informed, making a long pause to let out a soft sigh.

"What?!" The twins said at the same time, not being able to believe what they had just heard."

"Yeah, our security cameras recorded Michael Stevens, one of our senior agents stealing the orb in the middle of the night. Next morning we put him into custody to interrogate him and thanks to ex-agent Lillian Andrews, we found out he was telling the truth; last night he was watching a football game on T.V. There's no way he could do it. Somehow, someone tried to set a trap for him, but we don't understand how."

The twins kept listening to President Kickbutt's explanation. The fact that the power-sapping orb has fall into the wrong hands, was already worrying. They had no idea who could they face in the not so distant future.

"Andrews helped us to find out what the robbers of the Royal Key were hiding, now we know how they operate. It seems that there are some criminal groups working for a guy whose name they ignore. Those 5 mans you captured were just doing the dirty job. The night they robbed the jewelry, there was another group stealing from a security truck on its way to Hidenville. They stole all the money and killed both officers, with a headshot."

"That's terrible, what should we do?" Phoebe worryingly asked.

"We need your brother to get infiltrated in one of these criminal groups as soon as possible. Max, we have everything you need to make these animals hire you. When you come here next Monday, we're gonna explain a more detailed plan to you. I'm sure we're gonna catch those bastards before Thanksgiving." President Kickbutt explained Max, right before turning to his sister.

"Phoebe, while Max is taking care of this assignment, you're gonna have the responsibility to protect Hiddenville, but you're not doing it alone, there's this girl who's about to attend Hero University. She has demonstrated a great talent with her powers, and from all the other 3 super heroes available, she chose you to be her mentor, her name is Keely Greer."

"Keely? I think I know her, she's a blonde girl with the ability of weather control?" Phoebe asked.

"That's right, you should receive the alert in your phone, but I guess you've been so occupied with your brother." Evelyn said, but right after hearing this, Phoebe got a little bit nervous and shared a serious look with her brother.

"Anyway, she'll be there next Monday, early in the morning. I know she'll be so helpful in the next few days, and at the same time, it'll be an excellent training for her." Super President stated.

"Of course, I'll be happy to help her." The young girl happily agreed.

"Oh and... one last thing, couple days ago we transferred Dark Mayhem to our headquarters for interrogation. We thought he was having contact with someone, but during the interrogation things got out of control and, let's say there was a little... incident. That son of a bitch tried to escape by attacking some of my agents, including me and Lillian, but in the end we could take him down." Evelyn told them, with the most serious voice they've ever heard.

"And... is everyone okay?" Phoebe inquired.

"Yeah. But he's not. President Kickbutt, out." She concluded, finishing the transmission abruptly, and leaving the twins with a serious expression, as a big silence was taking over the place.

The screen left the Thunder-Monitor mode and showed the movie credits again, but the twin's attention was in other place. After they heard what President Kickbutt told them, they could hardly focus on watching another movie. In the middle of the awkward silence, Max seated on the couch, took the remote and turned off the T.V.

"Looks like things are more serious than we thought." He stated, leaving the remote on his right.

"Yeah. I can't believe what happened with those persons. If we could only know..." Phoebe regret while crossing her arms, something weird for her.

"Babe, there's no way we could have know that." He said, standing up from the couch. "What's important now is to find whoever is behind all this." He stated, getting close to Phoebe to take her hands.

"I hope we can." Phoebe said, looking straight to his eyes.

Max was so excited from the moment he learned that President Kickbutt would give him an undercover mission, that he never thought about the consequences. Next Monday he'll be in the Hero League's headquarters to have more details for the mission, and if it was like the last one, he'll surely have to keep a low profile in order to infiltrate in one of the criminal bands.

He should be prepared in case they start watching him to probe his loyalty, so he couldn't take the risk of getting back to the apartment until the mission was over, and all the criminals were imprisoned.

Max and Phoebe knew this was unavoidable, sometimes the life as superheroes required to do some sacrifices they'll be willing to accept, but being separated for so long was something they preferred to avoid. Max didn't want to be away from his twin, but at that moment, that's all he could think about.

"Babe, I'm sure it'll be just a couple days, I..." He tried to say unsure of his words, because he knew that this kind of missions could take more than 48 hours.

Phoebe knew this was worrying him, she perfectly understand his feelings because since the day they discovered their telepathic power, the secrets were now an old story. Max could feel that she wasn't comfortable with this idea, but they both knew they won't be able to change President Kickbutt's plans.

"Please stop talking, just come here."

At that very moment, all they could do was to share a warm hug that made them lost track of time.

 **Industrial District, Hiddenville's Slums.** **  
 **October 21, 2022, Friday.**  
 **10:33 PM****

Some days later, President Kickbutt's assignment started. It took her several months to plan all this, so Max and Phoebe should be really careful while doing their part of the mission. This time, the twins will have to work by their own for the first time in years, but they knew they'd be together soon, and that's what cheered them up.

That Monday, when Max went to Hero League's headquarters, President Kickbutt gave him all he needed to bring those criminals attention and make them think he really had potential to be one of them. An ugly apartment at Industrial District, some cheap clothes that make him look suspicious, and an old Pontiac GTO 1969, everything he needed to find them.

But those weren't the only expenses the Hero League had to cover, because a couple days ago Max had to make some vandalism around the city, and also, stealing auto parts and other valuable stuff using his telekinesis. After becoming a hero, stealing from others was the last thing he wanted to do, but everything was part of the plan.

Max had to make sure that people actually see him committing crimes with his powers. That should be enough for them to approach and see what he was capable of. Once inside of the criminal group, he could start with the second phase of the mission; earning their trust to bust them all.

This was the fifth night he walked out the streets, waiting for them to notice him, but he hasn't had much luck, and the only thing he could get so far, was to raise Hero League's bills thanks to all those steals and damage to private property, all caused by him.

That Friday night, Max spent a long time walking in one of the main streets of Industrial District. There were just a few lights in the neighborhood, just a few cars around the place, and the only persons he could see preferred to take another street before risking to keep walking at him. Without a doubt, no one would ever approach to a mysterious guy in the middle of darkness, hanging around suspiciously.

He had 20 minutes leaned at an old telephone booth, in front of an ATM across the street. He acted like the typical robber, trying to go unnoticed by others, but just looking out, waiting for the right moment to act.

 _"Okay... this is the third this week... I hope they show up this time."_ Max thought while looking around him, waiting for people to be seen. Definitely not a common procedure for a robber.

His attire included a pair of worn jeans and a black hoodie, it was all he needed to look like one of them. He assumed that nobody would ask him about the leather jacket, and if they do he could just tell them he stole it. The first time he went out the streets dressing like that, he couldn't help but thinking that this would be the clothes he'd be wearing if he haven't left his villain phase behind, but that's in the past now.

And as he stood in the middle of darkness, he took one last look around and when he saw some people sitting on a bus station 200 yards from there, he knew this could be the last chance, so he quickly ran across the street and walked to the AMT.

 _"All right, let's do this."_ He thought, right after stopping 6 feet away from the machine.

Without hesitation, he aimed his left hand to the ATM, and with a strong move he used his telekinesis to rip out all the frontal part of the machine, exploiting the touchscreen in the middle of hundreds of sparks and some metal pieces that flew around the place. The persons at the bus station were still seeing his actions, astonished.

After taking out that thing like it was a simple piece of paper, immediately all the 4 units slipped out, which contained what he was looking for in the first place; money. Once he managed to scrap the units, he finally had that huge loot just for him, so he grabbed a black plastic bag from his jacket, unfolded it completely and with his telekinetic power, he made all the bucks fly inside of the bag.

As he kept taking the money, he saw the bus station with the corner of his left eye, and all the persons were running away from the place. He suddenly felt really excited, not because he liked to steal money, but because he liked to play as the bad guy from time to time.

Once he cleaned the ATM, he quickly tied the plastic bag and ran down the sidewalk, until he saw a dark alley, and went inside of it.

This alley was nothing more than a very small space between two big buildings, with some trash containers he had to dodge while running. When he was about to reach the other side, out of nowhere, a black noisy van with tinted windows blocked his only way out. Two guys wearing tactical clothes and black ski masks came out of the vehicle, and immediately walked to the alley, which made him give some steps back.

 _"Finally!"_ Max thought, after seeing they were wearing the same clothes than the jewelry robbers.

"We've been looking for you, kid." One of them said, right before stopping some feet away from him.

"For this?" Max inquired, showing the bag with the money. "Oh I just found it out there, you know... finders keepers." He kept saying with a mocking tone of voice.

"We don't care about the trash you're stealing, asshole. Get in the truck, there's someone who wants to meet you." The other guy shouted him out, pointing at the vehicle.

"I don't think I'm going to." Max replied challengely, dropping the bag to the floor.

"Then you'll come the hard way." The same guy assured, taking out the gun from his shoulder holster.

Max wasn't even surprised when he pointed out his weapon at him, he was sure he could stop him without any problem, he just smiled a little bit, and quickly moved his hand to throw the gun away, leaving the guy completely disarmed, and confused.

He had to act fast if he wanted to gain control of the situation, so he pointed his arm against the man and threw him several feet back until smashing him against the van, breaking the driver's window in the process, and leaving a big dent in the whole door. He could barely moan at the moment he hit the vehicle.

He should get K.O instantly because he didn't move after the fall, and all his astonished partner could do was trying to grab his gun, but before he could charge it, Max quickly pinned him against one of the walls of the alley, and as he kept him n the air, he used his telekinesis to twist his hand and make him drop the gun, making him yell in pain. Then, he slowly walked to him.

"Have you been following me? Who sent you?" Max seriously questioned him, but the guy didn't say any word.

Due to his refusal, Max decided to go a little further to make him talk, so using his other hand, he telekinetically took off his ski mask to expose the delinquent's face. He was an Asiatic man with black hair and some piercings on the lips. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties and had a scar on his cheek.

"Don't you wanna talk? Let's see if you feel more talkative after this." He threatened him, right before levitating the two guns, and put them in front of his face, directly aiming at him.

"So?" Max asked, waiting for his answer.

Max was beginning to lose his patient, so using his telekinesis, he pressed both guns against the guy's face, but even when he felt those cold barrels against his skin, he didn't want to talk.

"You're wasting your time, he's not going to talk, none of them will." A third guy suddenly said, as he walked to the alley. He was dressed just like the others, but he didn't have a shoulder holster or weapons to defend himself.

"I can be very persuasive." Max replied, not even looking at him.

"I'm sure of it, but they're really good trained, you could rip all of their fingers with those amazing powers and yet, they'd never betray the hand that feeds them." The guy stated.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Max challengely asked, this time looking straight at him.

"Well if you're done playing with them, I'd like to make an offer you may be interested in." The man told him, crossing his arms.

After that, Max threw the guy he was telekinetically holding, just to make him smash against the other wall, leaving him on the floor, K.O. He immediately moved the guns to point them at that guy. Due to his behavior, Max assumed he was the leader, so he should be alert.

"That won't be necessary, if we wanted to kill you we would've done that several days ago. We know what you've been doing to get easy money, you destroyed those ATM without even touching them and that is exactly the talent we're looking for." The guy stated, trying to get to the offer.

Max let the guns fall on the floor, because he considered that if they were gonna hire him, there was no danger, but definitely, he was not gonna low his guard.

"I work alone, buddy." Max replied as he raised the bag filled with money. "As you can see, I don't need to be part of a group to get this." He said, bragging about his loot.

"If you work with us, you won't have to waste your powers to break ATM's in the poor slums. If you're looking for money, that's what you'll get." He said, making clear about his offer.

That was the right moment for Max to fake he was interested, so after putting the bag on his shoulder like he was carrying a backpack, he asked:

"Okay, now you have my attention, what do I have to do?"

"First of all, you have to go though some aptitude and endurance tests, your power is important but it's not everything, so once this guys wake up, we're going to see the others. You're not the only one who's trying to join us this night."

"So, you have others?" Max asked, trying to look curious.

"That's right, but there will be time for that. For now I need to know your name." The guy said, giving a step forward.

"It's Jack." Max replied immediately.

"Nice to meet you Jack." He said, offering his hand.

Max still had his doubts, he thought it could be a trap after all, but he decided to risk and continue with his role. And after he got close to him, he shacked his hand.

"You can call me Chameleon." He concluded, introducing himself.

 **Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **10:40 PM****

In the meantime, at the other side of the city, Phoebe and Keely were patrolling the streets with the Thundercar. They already saved a guy who got trapped in his vehicle after a truck driver crashed with his car by accident, but it was too early to get home yet. There were a lot of things they could do.

This time Phoebe was driving the Thundercar, and even if she was grateful for not hitting her elbows while putting her super suit on, deep down her she preferred to have one bruise or two, if that meant being close to Max again.

She spent all nights thinking about him, because even when he started his mission 5 days ago, she actually missed him like he have been 5 years absent, and all those long conversations they had on Skype until falling asleep, seemed like a few minutes for her. They really needed each other.

Phoebe always tried to focus every time she go out with Keely on night patrols, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. And as she drove through the big avenues, Phoebe used to give Keely some advices for her training, like now. She was so happy to finally have a mentee.

"Remember Keely, you have to learn how to arrive at a scene, access a situation, and make the right call. Just like you did when you chose to put the citizen safe while I was using my telekinesis to unfold his car." Phoebe explained the young hero girl.

"I hope I can remember your advices next time, Phoebe. If something like the other day happens again..." Keely tried to say, but soon her mentor interrupted.

"Hey it wasn't your fault, okay? Who could've known that one of the smugglers was using a bypass and your lighting would cause him a heart attack?" Phoebe said, trying to cheer her up and show her that sometimes things are just out of her own control.

"Luckily there was an ambulance near that place." The girl added.

"I know, but the important thing is that you stopped both of them and no matter if he ended up in the hospital, nobody else got hurt. Don't worry, living all this experiences is part of being a super hero. Believe me, everything will get better." She told her mentee, encouraging her.

"I hope you're right Phoebe, I wouldn't like to fail my family." Keely answered, lowering her eyes.

Since the day Phoebe knew her at 5th grade, Keely has left most of her insecurities behind, her trust grew up when she started dating Chester, after they went to the Super Dance together. Now she's a 16 years old girl with dreams and big aspirations, and even if she wasn't scared of using her powers anymore, sometimes she felt pressured while thinking about her future as a superhero, specially being an only child.

"No you won't, I'm sure one day I'm gonna turn on the T.V. to see the feats of Tempest, the new protector of... Baltimore? Who knows?" Phoebe assured her, recognizing her talent.

"That'd be awesome! Chester would be so happy!" The girl expressed, with a glint in her eyes.

"And you didn't have to make hail ice balls fall on him." Phoebe joked, remembering her old advice.

"I know!" Keely said, smiling after hearing her mentor. "So... what about you Phoebe? Any special guy?" She curiously asked.

"Well, I..." Phoebe tried to answer but then, an alert appeared on the smart panel, interrupting her.

Keely opened the alert by touching the screen and a message form Z-Force appeared.

"This says there's a theft in progress in Maple Street, it's a Twenty4Seven store. I think that's near from here." Kelly said, after reading the message on the screen.

Right after hearing the location, Phoebe took her blue mask from the cup holder and put on immediately. After seeing her mentor getting ready for action, Keely did the same, but in order to hide her identity, she always used dark glasses with a silver frame, so she put them on too.

"I know where it is." Phoebe said, before speeding up the car to get to Maple Street as soon as possible.

 **Twenty4Seven, Zona Urbana de Hiddenville.** **  
 **10:46 PM****

Some minutes later, they arrived at the convenience store, but just when Phoebe was about to park the car, the girls saw two guys running out of the store, so they were forced to act quickly by getting out of the car at the same time.

Even after the amazing rescue they had to perform, Phoebe's suit looked faultless at that moment, nobody could believe that these two girls have saved one person from a twisted car, less than an hour ago.

"Stop!" Phoebe courageously ordered.

Phoebe's cape was heroically waving with the night breeze, her eyes have been analyzing the whole place way before they left the vehicle. She knew how to stop then in just a few seconds, but this time, it was Keeley's responsibility.

Phoebe noticed there were two gas pumps and several cars parked in front of the store. She thought that'd be a great opportunity to test Keely's powers, and she decided to interfere if she really needed her help.

Until that night, just a few persons have seen Keely with her Tempest suit. A tight silver jacket with a tornado logo on her chest, black pants with silver details, black long boots and her blonde hair tied in a ponytail. That was the outfit she used all nights since she started her training with Phoebe.

Both robbers had a black backpack in the hands, with all the money they could steal from the store. Hoodies, jeans and caps, the typical street robbers. When they walked out there, they were ready to escape running through the alleys, but when they saw the young heroes in front of them, they did the only thing they could do in a moment like this:

"It's not Halloween yet, bitches." One of them yelled, making fun of them.

"Get out of here, or else..." His partner added, grabbing his gun to charge it.

But Phoebe and Keely didn't get scared with this, they just started watching their movements. Suddenly, they heard some police sirens at the distance, which took the thieves by surprise, and the guy who had the gun in his hand, immediately pointed at Phoebe.

"Drop the gun now!" Keely shouted out in her attempt to stop him the easy way, but it was useless.

Then, the other guy took out his weapon but at that very moment, Phoebe moved her hand as fast as she could, using her telekinesis to throw both guns away, leaving both of them lost in their tracks. After that, all they did was separating from each other and run in different directions. That was the right moment Phoebe chose to start with the test.

"Tempest, light them up." Phoebe demanded her partner.

The blonde girl extended her arms and soon after, a cold wind began to blow even stronger than before. A dark cloud started forming all over the convenience store, covering the whole place. Then Keely's brown eyes turned blue and shiny, and as the black cloud got bigger and bigger, suddenly a powerful twister wind began covering the girl, raising her up in the air.

The thieves have almost left from the parking lot, but before they could put a foot on the sidewalk, Keely pointed her arms to both of them and as she made her hands glow, she threw two powerful lightings that landed right in front of them, stopping them right away.

Frightened, they tried to run in another direction, but every time they ran, Keely would stop them with some noisy lightings she let down against the floor, leaving some cracklings after each one of them. Phoebe was carefully watching the way her mentee was managing the situation, but her test hasn't ended yet.

"Stop!" Both robbers yelled in the middle of the thunderstorm the blonde created on them.

Little by little, the girl was able to bring them back to the middle of the parking lot, surrounding them with dozens of lightings she carefully aimed, trying not to hit the gas pumps and cause a tragedy.

 _"Focus Keely, focus."_ The girl mentally said to herself over and over, as she aimed her shots.

The robbers were still dodging her lightings desperately, but in certain moment they tried to take the guns they dropped some minutes ago, since they were still laying on the floor. Phoebe saw what they were trying to do and before they could grab them, she telekinetically dragged them across the floor, putting them out of their reach.

As the sound of the sirens was getting closer, Keely decided it was enough, she had to take them down so she stopped all the lightings, and while she kept levitating with that powerful wind, she got close to them and used her hand to generate a strong wind burst to one of them, making him fly against one of the walls of the store.

Soon after, Keely descended to the floor in the middle of a big wave that shocked everything around her, and the cloud she created before, began to disappear. Her eyes got back to the original color, but the air burst she was throwing at that guy never stopped, so he was still pinned against the wall, completely immobilized. He could barely complain for all that wind on his body and face.

The other guy saw the opportunity he was waiting for, and thinking Keely forgot about him, he ran away from there. When Phoebe saw this, she was about to take him down him with her telekinesis, but Keely stopped her:

"Leave him alone, I'll take care of him." She said, confident of her powers.

And as she kept pointing her right arm to throw the air burst against to first guy, she raised her left hand and after a few seconds, a small but powerful tornado began forming in front of the robber's eyes, attracting him immediately to put him several feet in the air, turning around over and over, in the middle of his desperate screams.

"You can call me bitch now!" Keely challenged them, with big smile on her face.

Phoebe was startled by what she saw, that sweet and insecure girl she met 6 years ago has become a powerful super hero. She was so proud of her at that moment. After all she did that night, Phoebe had no doubts she could go as far as she wanted, literally, the sky was the limit for Keely.

 **10:58 PM**

Soon after, the police arrived at the crime scene, and what they saw after getting out of the vehicle, made their jaws drop; there was a guy trapped in the middle of a small tornado that seemed to be controlled by a girl with dark glasses and silver clothes, besides, there was another guy who was levitating against a wall, covered with a noisy wind that seemed to came from the girl's hand.

"Good night officers, here." Pheobe greeted them, handing the backpacks used during the robbery. "It's the money they stole from Twenty4Seven. Their guns are over there." She continued explaining, pointing at the place she left the weapons.

"Thank you lady. Uhm... don't forget you report." One of the cops reminded her.

"Of course not officer, I'll make sure the Hero League sends it to you tomorrow morning." Phoebe assured him, before saying good bye to them. "See you later officers. You can let them go Tempest." She told her partner, and soon after, she disappeared the tornado and stopped the air burst, leaving a very dizzy guy, and another barely conscious.

"Good night." Keely said, waving goodbye to both officers, and walked next to Phoebe.

Both criminals were cuffed by the cops as Phoebe and Keely walked away from there. The persons in the Twenty4Seven were walking out of the store and went to see the cops, probably they'll had to give their statements about the robbery. The common protocol.

After walking by the police cars, Phoebe was forced to cover her face from those blinding red-blue lights that were covering the place, but not Keely, because her black glasses were the perfect way to protect her eyes. When they let the patrols behind them, they finally had a small talk:

"Wow, if you wanted to impress your mentor, you absolutely did it, I have no idea how you learned to levitate with your powers, but that was great." Phoebe admitted, as they walked across the parking lot.

"This is the first time I do it, I wasn't sure if it'd work. The most difficult for me was shooting the lightings without touching anything else, other than the floor." The young girl explained.

"You did a pretty great job, actually I don't think you're having problems to make President Kickbutt assign you a city to protect, after you graduate from Hero U." Phoebe said, praising the girl as they stopped in front of the car.

"I hope so, but... maybe I should practice my wind burst a little bit. Sorry about your hair, by the way." Keely nervously said, pointing at her mentor's hair.

"My hair? Did your wind mess up my hair?" A distracted Phoebe asked, while taking both hands to her head.

 **Volt-N-Save, near Metroburg city limits.** **  
 **November 5, 2022, Saturday.**  
 **11:41 PM****

Two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye, and so far, things seemed to be peaceful in Hiddenville. There's still one crime or two from time to time, but Phoebe was there to save the day. Now, Keely's visits were only during night patrols, where she tried to learn how to handle different situations. Phoebe was an excellent mentor.

But far away from there, things were so different.

Near the limits of the city, in the place that used to be the facilities of Volt-N-Save power plant, something interesting was going on. From the outside, everything seemed so quiet, but not in the inside.

A violent battle was taking place in the old lobby of the plant. Two guys wearing black tactical clothes and ski masks were ferociously fighting against each other, in front of at least 20 other persons that surrounded both of them to see them fighting. Most of them were mans but there were women too, and all of them were using the same clothes.

They looked like a group of savage animals, encouraging the guys in the middle of the room so they keep fighting, they yelled at them violently shaking the arms. But only one of them was looking at the fight in silence, with the arms crossed. He was no one else but Dark Slaughter's right hand, Chameleon, the only person who wasn't hiding his face.

Both fighters had a similar body build, so the fight has being balanced so far, but at certain moment, one of them fail at blocking a hit that came directly to his face and he immediately fall, with the hands on the floor. Stunned, he spit some blood and tried to stand up, but didn't notice his lack of defense.

His adversary decided to take advantage of this, so he walked behind his back and wrapped his arm around his neck to apply a powerful head lock on him, which made him take both hands to this arm, desperately trying to stop him. Soon after, he slowly started to lose his breath.

"Surrender!" His opponent shouted out, before pressing his neck, even harder.

"Never." The other replied, with a shattered voice.

But the pressure on his neck was getting harder and soon, he could only use one hand to stop him, he looked like he was about to pass out but then something happened; the guy who was holding him was suddenly thrown across the room with such strength, that he went over some of the viewers, and he got smashed against one of the walls, leaving a cracking in the process, and then he fell to the floor.

The guy that was losing before, stood up hardly breathing, and trying to calm the pain he felt around his neck. He turned around to see his opponent lying on the floor, and before he could do anything to fight back, he aimed his hand and just by lifting his arm, he made him levitate against his will. Now this man was in disadvantage.

All of the people walked away from that place as they kept looking what the last fighter was doing with him. All of them were practically yelling, asking for his death. Soon, the lobby was filled with all those roars and shouts. For the people's behavior, they were obviously witnessing a fight to death, and it seemed to be coming to an end.

Suddenly, all of the roars stopped, leaving just some slight whispers going from one place to another. It was because of Chameleon who has raised his arms with authority. Clearly, all these people respected Dark Slaughter right hand.

"What are you waiting for?! Finish him!" Chameleon commanded, shouting out.

Later, all the whispers stopped and there was only a cold silence around the whole place. Some seconds later, the guy who won the fight was still there, without moving a single muscle, just looking at the person he was holding in the air, like he was having doubts.

"You almost get it, don't dare to ruin everything!" He insisted again, trying to motivate him to finish the job.

The man turned to his left to face him, and he crossed with the shapeshifter's cold eyes all over him, but yet, he seemed to be unsure of what he was about to do.

He should've been thinking twice because when he faced his opponent again, he pointed at him with his right index and after a short pause, he gestured a quick movement with his finger, and a long red mark appeared across his throat at the same time, cutting the ski mask too.

At first nothing happened, but a couple seconds later, a large amount of blood began emerging from his throat, covering most of his dark clothes immediately, until it dripped on the floor. All that poor guy could do was moaning in pain, trying to breath as much as he could but it was too late, his life was fading out, slowly and painfully.

The persons around them were still in shock for what he did to him, and even if they've seen those kinds of powers before, they've never seen someone being murdered like that.

Shortly after there was only an inert body covered in blood, hovering on a big crimson puddle. Later, he dropped the body on the floor, finishing with the execution.

When he saw this, Chameleon slowly approached to him, while the others kept watching at the scene in silence. There was no doubt he have done something good, at least for the eyes of those persons.

"Well done, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Now you're worthy enough to be one of us." He congratulated him, before stopping right in front of him.

"Welcome to the Villains League." Chameleon added, offering his hand.

"Thank you. I won't let you down." He stated.

After that, the man who won the fight proceeded to take off his ski mask to finally reveal his true identity: Max Thunderman.

 **Mile 33,** **near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **November 6, 2022, Sunday.**  
 **12:09 AM****

It was past midnight, less than an hour has passed since he left from Volt-N-Save, and now Max was driving his black Pontiac, through the old road to Metroburg. For some reason the night seemed to be longer than usual, and he didn't know why. He went to that power plant a couple hours ago, but he never imagined that things could go wrong, terribly wrong.

He had to drive a long way to get back to the city, but Max was not going to his apartment at Industrial District, he had to go to Hero League, in his hometown. The road was deserted at that time, and when he didn't see any vehicle in the entire street, he decided there was no problem if he speeded up his car.

The car light's on the road were the only thing he saw in the darkness. He could barely blink and had a bitter taste in his throat. He seemed to be worried about something too because in two occasions, he used the rearview like he was looking for something in the back seat of the car, but he kept driving by the long and dark road, waiting to be there as soon as possible.

All of a sudden, a strange shadow began moving in the back seat. The lights on the road were illuminating the seat every time the car passed below them. There was person wearing black clothes identical to the ones Max was using, but the only difference was the crimson marks all over it.

"Wow! That really hurt!" The mysterious guy said, touching his throat and taking off the ski mask from his head.

"Oh, you're back. I was starting to get worried." Max replied, setting up the rearview to talk to him.

"And I thought you didn't care about your partner. I'm touched." He added, sarcastically.

And then, Max looked at the rearview and saw his old friend from Hero U, Santiago Hernández. He wasn't his favorite person in the world but this time, he was forced to work with him. Definitely his power was very useful during this mission, and thanks to him, Max was finally infiltrated in the Villains League.

"Actually I was worried about how I should write the report, 'missed in action' or... 'killed by partner'." He assured him, moving the rearview to stop looking at him and focus on the way.

"Yeah well... perks of the job." Santiago replied, looking at the car's window, to his right.

"You lost a lot of blood, how am I even listening to you?" Max questioned him, with a mocking tone.

"Mi regenerative power allows me to stop depending of transfusions. If I lose a lot of blood I just need more time to heal but... I had to do it to make it look more real. I'm really good right?" He asked him, with a brag tone of voice, as he saw his reflection on the window, making sure his throat didn't have any scratch. "But your telekinesis slitting my throat actually felt real, 'amigo'." He ironically said.

"Yeah, I wanted to make it more real too... 'Vortigen' what was it?" Max asked, doubting from his pronunciation.

"Vordigan." He corrected him.

"Oh yeah... Where did you get that name?" He tried to inquire.

"Well, I could spend 2 whole minutes explaining or... I could take a 40 minutes nap while we go to headquarters. I think I'll go for the second option, I had a 5 hours flight from México to Metroburg, and I'm falling asleep. Wake me up, okay?" Santiago concluded, getting a better position in his seat as he put both hands behind his head, trying to sleep.

"Note to self: 'Never work with Santiago again.'" Max said, after touching the screen of his smartwach.

 **Volt-N-Save, near Metroburg city limits.** **  
 **November 6, 2022, Sunday.**  
 **12:38 AM****

Back in Volt-N-Save, the building looked almost empty now, there were just a few mens watching the entrance of the place. But in the last floor, ad dark silhouette was stay still in front of those big windows, looking at the lighten up city from the distance.

As usual, the lights of that floor were completely turned off, and the only light was the one coming from the moon outside. The man who was looking at the city was the same man who murdered a person with his plasmakinesis several weeks ago, he was Dark Slaughter.

He had exactly the same mask covering his face, which he used to take off only when no one was present. That's what he do all nights, like this one, so he put both hands in the back of his head, he was about to take it off but suddenly, he heard someone knocking at the door.

"Come in." He immediately ordered, after lowering the arms.

"Sir, we've started the night guard. Everything is ready." Chameleon informed, as soon as he got there.

"Good. So... is the kid gone?" The villain asked, not even turning around.

"Yes, yes sir, everything is going according to the plan." Chameleon explained, perfectly knowing who he's talking about.

"So he doesn't suspect?" Dark Slaughter asked.

"No sir, he thinks he's joining to the Villains League." He rushed to explain.

Having that mask, it was impossible for Chameleon to actually see him, but when Dark Slaugther heard what he said, a sinister smile was drawn in his face, pleased for how things were coming out.

"Excellent, I think we should wait some days before continue with the plan. Now you can go." The villain stated, as he crossed his arms.

"Yes sir." He answered, right before turning around to get out of there, closing the door behind him.

Finally, he was alone in that place, and this time nothing could stop him from taking off the mask, so after he put his hands behind his head, he opened the clamps and proceeded to take it off to place it on his desk. The room was too dark so anyone could see his face, but right in front of the window, the reflection showed a man in his mid-thirties, with black short hair, brushy eyebrows, a beard of one week, and a long scar from the forehead to his chin.

"Soon Max Thunderman, the day where you cry tears of blood will come. Soon, you're gonna pay for your sins. I swear."

 **To be continued...**


	4. Thanksgiving

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

"Someone stole the orb." President Kickbutt informed.

"What?!" The twins said at the same time, not being able to believe it.

In the last few weeks, Eveyln Kickbutt and her research team have been doing all what's necessary to find out everything that could be useful for the Thundertwins in their next mission. The 5 robbers they stopped at the jewelry, were an essential key to this, cause thanks to Lillian Andrews, they could finally get 'till the last secret their fragile minds were hiding.

The plan was easy but so risky too; Max would have to infiltrate in one of the criminal groups of the city to get to their leader and when the time comes, he would stop all of them with the help of Phoebe, but before that, he needed to attract their attention in order to join them, so he had to cause several disturbs around the city and steal with his powers.

"What do I have to do?" Max asked the mysterious guy.

"If you work with us, you won't have to waste your powers." He said, making clear about his offer.

In the meantime, Phoebe became the mentor of Keely Greer, the girl she met at SASS 6 years ago, and while they tried to protect the city, she helped her with her trainings at the same time, at least until Max has done with his part of the mission.

"Tempest, light them up." Phoebe demanded her partner.

Phoebe proved to be an excellent mentor, because she didn't have to interfere with her trainings, letting Keely act by her own to stop two robbers that were stealing from a convenience store, showing an awesome control over her weather powers.

"You can call me bitch now!" Keely challenged them, with a big smile on her face.

Some weeks later, after several tests, Max was finally capable to join that dangerous organization, but not before fighting against one of the aspirants.

"What are you waiting for?! Finish him!" Chameleon commanded shouting out.

After a though fight, Max was able to defeat him, but in order to be accepted, he was forced to do something he has never done before; killing his opponent with his telekinesis.

"I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Welcome to the Villains League." Chameleon congratulated him, while shaking his hand.

Everything seemed to go as planned, Max got infiltrated in the Villains League that were thought to be extinct, and during that time, Phoebe managed to keep the city save from crime. But no one knew that this new and darkness force was one step ahead.

"So he doesn't suspect?" Dark Slaughter asked.

"No sir, he thinks he's joining to the Villains League." Chameleon rushed to explain.

And from the shadows, this new villain is beginning to show his true face. It's just a matter of time before things fall by their own weight. The worst is yet to come.

"Soon Max Thunderman, the day where you cry tears of blood will come. Soon, you're gonna pay for your sins. I swear."

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 4: Thanksgiving.**

 **Industrial District, Hiddenville's Slums.** **  
 **November 21, 2022, Monday.**  
 **05:55 AM.****

Two weeks later, President Kickbutt's mission seemed to go well. Max's undercover mission worked perfectly and he was part of the Villains League now, or at least that's what it looked like. On the other hand, Phoebe and Keely finished the training, and in the last few days she worked so hard to protect the city by herself. President Kickbutt was so satisfied with the development of her powers, that she began to considerate the possibility to assign Tempest to protect a city in the future.

With Hiddenville safe and Max earning the bad guys trust, everything seemed to be ready to continue with the next phase of the mission; the Villains League attack. Without a doubt, it was the hardest part and they should wait for the right moment to execute it successfully.

Following Dark Slaugther's instructions, all the members of the Villains League stopped their criminal activities during the next few days, so President Kickbutt came to the conclusion that there was no need for Max to keep living in the Industrial District, so she let him go back to the apartment once he was ready to do it.

He didn't waste his time and decided to go back to Delta Tower as soon as possible. He was anxious to see his beloved Phoebe once again.

That Monday morning, he woke up earlier than normal, he didn't have to program his phone alarm. He took a shower and got dressed with the first clothes he found; a black shirt, dark blue jeans and a grey jacket. He grabbed all of his things from the apartment, and put them in the old Pontiac's trunk, and quickly left that dangerous neighborhood to take the street that would take him straight to Hiddenville's urban zone.

Last night he and Phoebe were talking on Skype 'till the early hours of the morning, but he didn't say anything about his return, he wanted to surprise her. When he finally took Millbrook Avenue, he speeded up the car to get there as soon as could. He missed her so much.

" _Pheebs..."_ He thought as he drove on the long road.

He couldn't stop thinking about her all the way home, he wanted to see her again so much, hug her with all his strengths and kiss her for hours until falling asleep together. More than a month has passed since they started with their part of the mission, but it felt like so much more time for them.

After driving for a while, he finally saw the building at the distance, and without even noticing, a smile was drawing on his face.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **06:49 AM.****

He arrived before sunrise, there were just a few cars around the place, so he drove all the way to the building faster than normal. After getting in the lower part of the building, he parked the Pontiac next to the Thundercar, and after taking the suitcase he had in the back seat, he walked in one of the elevators, and used his telekinesis to press the button that would take him to the apartment.

As the elevator went up, he felt like the time was running slow, he never felt that before but it was normal, considering he was dying to see the women of his life. Fortunately, there were just one or two persons using the elevators due to the current time, so he didn't have to wait that long to get to the eight floor.

After leaving the elevator, he ran through the hallways while taking the keys out of his jacket. Soon after, he reached to his door but even with the smartwatch around his wrist, he decided not to use it, because he knew it would make an alert sound inside, and he didn't want to make any noise.

Normally, his twin woke up early in the morning, but sometimes he was the one who wake her up in so many ways; giving her caresses, kissing her passionately, or trying to annoy her like in their teenage years.

 _"Morning sunshine. So I gave you all night, did you come up with the best prank ever yet?"_ Max remembered that day he pulled that cruel prank on her at high school.

He couldn't deny that there was a time he felt guilty for all those pranks he used to pull on her. During those years, he didn't want to admit that he only tried to annoy her because he wanted to be close, and every time he saw that cute gesture she had every time she got angry for his pranks, he suddenly felt something in his chest that he always tried to ignore, but now he know what it was.

When he left his thoughts aside, he carefully grabbed the key and opened the door very slowly. He walked inside of the apartment and locked the door again. He put his stuff on the ground and without turning the lights on, he went to her room. It was still dark inside the place, but the sun was rising in the outside, so the light coming from the windows was enough to let him know where he had to walk.

After he made it to the room, he saw the door was slightly open, so after getting inside there, he walked very carefully and he finally saw his beloved twin peacefully sleeping on the bed they've been sharing for more than a year.

She used to sleep on the left side of the bed while he hugged her from behind, but she was now laid on his side and using his pillow. Also, he noticed she was wearing one of his black shirts, nothing more. The poor girl missed him so much that she used his shirts to feel his scent before going to sleep and stop missing him. She spent the whole nights hugging his side of the bed, like she was trying to imagine he was still there.

Last night, Phoebe placed the sheets on the other side, she put her hair on her left shoulder, and laid with nothing more on than her brother's shirt, ready for their daily video call through Skype.

As he looked at her, Max was dying for giving a hug to her, draw her skin with his kisses and spend the rest of the morning recovering all the time they lost. But he didn't, he preferred to walk her side and lay down next to her very carefully. That's when he saw a long wavy lock of hair across her face, so he grabbed it with his hand and put it behind the ear, just to see her face in all her glory.

She looked so beautiful at that moment. Her shining loose hair, her pinked cheeks, and those lips he has missed for so long, were just inches away from him.

 _"Babe, you have no idea how much I missed you."_ Max thought, without being able to stop looking at her.

Then he got close to her, and before she could feel his presence or hear his thoughts, he kissed her very softly, like he was trying to re-discover every millimeter of those lips he knew so perfectly.

Soon after, Phoebe started to kiss him back unconsciously, believing she was having a dream of him. She felt in that small place between sleep and awake, desperately trying to continue with her dream. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Max in front of her. She was so amazed and thought she was still dreaming.

"Hi beautiful." Max whispered, and got separated from her face a little bit.

"Max...?" Phoebe asked, after she realized she wasn't sleeping.

"It's me, babe." He replied with a smile she didn't remembered seeing before.

"Oh my god you're back!" The young girl exclaimed stirring of feelings, and seating on the bed immediately. She didn't take much time to take her arms around his neck to hug him with all her strengths, as he firmly wrapped her in his arms.

"Honey, I missed you so much." Phoebe confessed, putting her lips close to his ear, as she deepened the hug, like she was scared he was going to leave again.

"Me too, babe." He lovingly answered.

Then they stopped the hug ending up face to face, and after sharing a complicit gaze, in an instant, they kissed again as if their life depends on it. It was so intense that soon they felt they were running out of air. They tried to calm down a little bit and go slowly, because even if they've spent so much time separated in the last month, now they had all the time they needed.

Max laid her down between the sheets, and without stopping kissing her, he began to run his hands through her skin, giving her soft caresses from her waist and slowly go up to her breasts, which made her body thrill every time his hands were going far away. Soon, things were heating up, and Max began unbuttoning the shirt Phoebe was wearing, as she did the same with his shirt.

"I love you so much." She managed to say with certain difficulty.

But Max couldn't stop kissing her, he just couldn't do it, and in the middle of their passion, he took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. Phoebe's hands were now skillingly running through his back, as he tried to undo the last button that kept his sister's breasts covered.

Max and Phoebe were willing to recover all the time they lost, and in the next few hours, there was no human power that would be able to stop them. In that very moment, they were just a young couple, and all they wanted was to demonstrate all the love they feel for each other and the day was just starting.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **November 24, 2022, Thursday.**  
 **11:55 AM.****

The next three days, the twin's room was turned into a whole love nest. They spent most of the time just locked inside of it, making love from dawn to sunset. They just needed each other so much that they couldn't help it. They barely have time to go on city patrols, and if it weren't for the Chinese food they ordered all nights, and the pancakes Phoebe made by the mornings, maybe they would've die from starvation.

Probably they were trying to use all the time they had, because they knew that this Thursday, things would change forever. Two months ago, the twins made a promise; after Thanksgiving dinner at their parent's house, they'll finally tell all the family about their secret relationship. Both of them knew that soon or later this day would come, and they had to be ready no matter what.

It was almost midday, and just like other times, Max was still sleeping on the bed that some hours ago, had witnessed the best kept secret in Hiddenville. Max had special caution of closing the blinds in the night, that's why he didn't feel the warm sun rays in the that was the reason he have been sleeping for so long.

He would've still been like that a couple hours if it weren't for the noises he could hear at the distance, which were beginning to wake him up until he opened the eyes completely. But then he stopped hearing those noises, looked around him and no matter how hard he tried, his beloved twin wasn't in there. He suddenly heard the same noises again but now he was sure they were coming from the kitchen, so he put on the clothes he dropped last night, and walked out of the room to go investigate.

When he got there, he saw Phoebe was very busy washing several stuff at the dishwasher. He walked to her, barefoot, and the girl wasn't even aware of his presence. Soon, a delicious smell filled his nostrils and lead him to the table. There were two dishes with enough pancakes for both them. She really loved to spoil him.

"Mmm... They look delicious." Max suddenly said.

"Oh shit! You're scared me!" The girl exclaimed, turning around very quick the moment she heard his voice.

"Wow, a swear word! I love when my girlfriend speaks like that." He replied, mockingly smiling.

"Look... about yesterday... well... I couldn't help it." Phoebe assured him, remembering the night of passion they had some hours ago. She got blushed immediately.

They began having sexual relationships more than a year ago, but even after all that time, sometimes Phoebe felt ashamed form talking about these things, and when they did she got really blushed, just like now, but she also gave Max one of the smiles he loved the most.

"Honey, sit down, let's have breakfast together or... lunch together, you sleepyhead." She suggested with a lovely smile.

"You know me, I'm not an early riser." Max justified himself, and seated in front of her at the table.

"I know, but I love my boyfriend just the way he is." Phoebe replied, blowing him a sweet kiss.

They began their breakfast like every morning, but just when Max was about to eat, all of a sudden, the little T.V. they had on a shelf was turned on, and Max turned to face it right away. Phoebe turned it on with her telekinesis, and she started to surf through the channels until she stopped in one of the channels she frequently used to see in the mornings.

"The news? That's boring find something else... like Sponge Bob or something." Max suggested the moment he saw Phoebe stopped in the HNN (Hiddenville News Networks).

"Wait... I think they're talking about something important on HNN." Phoebe said, ignoring his comment."

 _"... and so, after ten months from the revocation of the Superhero banning law promoted in 2019 by former president Donald Trump, yesterday during an interview for HNN, current president Hillary Clinton spoke about the big changes the nation has been having since she started working with the Hero League..."_

"Oh look..." Phoebe exclaimed, pointing at the T.V. when she saw Hillary appearing on the screen.

 _"When I was selected to be the president of the United States of America, the first thing I did was revoking that law from the Constitution, because I was not the only one who considered that the last thing our nation needed during those days, was to ban these citizens from doing their job, because the only thing they want for us, is we all have a better place to live..."_

Three years ago, there was a serious crisis in the Super Hero community due to the ban law that was approved in January 2019, after Dark Mayhem's attack and the raising of new villains in some cities around the country, the president thought that Heroes had to be banned, and the only ones who could actually fight against those dangerous criminals were the U.S. military forces. But everything began to change when Donald Trump finished his administration at the end of 2020.

 _"...they born with these powers, is their nature, and this law was practically another form of discrimination for this persons. And no matter their race, nationality, sexual orientation,_ _religion or super powers, we are all_ _citizens of this nation. I think we've been giving big steps in this topic..."_ After showing the fragment of the interview, the news presenter appeared on the screen again.

 _"Watch the full interview today at 6:00 PM, and the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation with President Hillary Clinton at 7:00 PM. In other news... everything is ready for the Black Friday sales and..."_

"We had luck for graduating when that law was not valid anymore." Max expressed, right before getting back to his pancakes.

"That's true. Hiding our powers and being banned from using them, are two different things." Phoebe replied, as she turned down volume on the T.V. by pressing the button with her power.

After that, they kept eating Phoebe's delicious breakfast. She not only prepared enough pancakes for both of them, she also put two big glasses with freshly squeezed orange juice, on the table. This one time, Max told her she was the best in destroying oranges with telekinesis, and from that day, she always wanted to do it, just for him.

After having a sip of her juice, a question came to her mind:

"So... what happened with our old friend?" Phoebe questioned.

"What old friend?" Max replied, not knowing who she was talking about.

"The one who helped you infiltrate in the Villains League, Santiago." She made it clear.

"Oh, he said he would get back to México this past Saturday, but when we were at the League's headquarters, he met Simone and... I think he cancelled his flight." Max told her, mockingly smiling while saying the last part.

"Simon? As in Simone Kickbutt? Wow! Maybe she'll end with her villain phase very soon." Phoebe commented, smiling back to her brother.

Some minutes after that little chat, Max noticed she was very quiet, and even if she never stopped eating, her eyes looked like they were running away from his gaze every time he saw her, so he wanted to know why:

"Babe, are you okay? You're so serious." He asked her, leaving the fork on the dish.

"Nothing it's just... tonight... I'm just a little nervous, that's all." Phoebe answered, looking straight at him. She tried to hide her feelings but she couldn't, Max had no troubles to read what her eyes were saying.

"Don't worry Pheebs, everything's gonna be all right." He assured her, non stopped looking at her eyes.

"Sure... I know, we should think positively." She said trying to trust him, but soon she felt overwhelmed by the situation, and after putting aside her dish, she stood up to have a big sigh.

Then, Max stood up too and got close to her. He took both of her hands to look her in the eyes again, and say:

"Hey... no matter what happens today, we're goona be together forever. I swear." He assured, right before wrapping her in his arms.

"I love you, Max." Was all Phoebe could say as she placed her chin on his shoulder?

"I love you too." Max replied, deepening the hug.

 **Hiddenville** **Suburbs.** **  
 **07:21 PM.****

Some hours later, the twins were on their way to their parent's house at Hiddenville suburbs. That place where they graduated from High School several years ago, and where they met their best friends. The sun was getting ready for the sunset, and it seemed they'll have a very fresh night, that's why they brought a jacket for themselves, because the last thing they wanted was getting a cold in Thanksgiving.

Max was wearing a grey shirt, black jeans, and shoes of the same color, and Phoebe decided to use grey jeans, a black sweater, and a pair of brown boots. Her long wavy hair was tied in a braid, which she placed on her right shoulder.

Two hours ago, Chloe offered herself to pick them up at the apartment so they weren't be late for dinner, but Max refused to her offer because according to him, teleporting would take away the meaning of the family visit.

After leaving the building, they got in the Thundercar and put their jackets in the back seat. Max was driving and Phoebe was next to him. She had a pie on her knees, which they bought at a nearby cake shop, because just like she used to say, " _It's not polite to get to a dinner with your hands empty, especially Thanksgiving"_. Max had no other option than listening to her. Now they were on Wells Avenue, 15 minutes away from their parent's house.

Delta Tower was like 40 minutes away from the suburbs, and for the entire travel, the twins never let their hands go, not even for a second, it's like that contact would help them calm the nerves they surely have been feeling, and little by little, an uncomfortable silence began to grow up, and Phoebe tried to banish it:

"Do you think they like the pie?" She asked, doubtfully looking at Max.

"Of course, everyone likes apple pie, if you don't believe me, just ask dad." He ironically replied, putting a soft smile on the face of his twin, which he shared after he faced her.

On the way home, Max was so happy he didn't agree with Chloe's idea, because deep down him, he wanted to spend more time with Phoebe before they tell everyone about their relationship.

They agreed to confess everything after the dinner, but none of them knew what will happen that night, but they were sure about something; that would be the longest dinner they've ever had.

As they turned to take the street they walked on several times to go to school, they tightened their hands, and right after that, they shared a look that could only reflect their growing anxiety, but for some reason, this special contact between them, seemed to calm them too.

 **Thunderman's House, Hiddenville Suburbs.** **  
 **07:36 PM.****

When they finally arrived at the house, Max parked the Mustang in front of the garden and they took some seconds before getting out of the vehicle. None of them knew what to say, they just looked at each other's eyes and after giving a soft sigh at the same time, they knew it was time. They slowly let their hands go, and walked out of the car together.

"Wait... let the pie here." Max said after seeing Phoebe was carrying the pie with both hands.

"But..." Phoebe tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Trust me." He insisted, finally convincing her, so she opened the door again and let pie on her seat.

They knew the Thunder-Monitor wouldn't take much time to detect them, and there's nothing they could do to surprise the family, so they walked through the garden and stopped at the main door of their old house. Max put his left hand on the door knob, but then he saw Phoebe was getting so nervous.

She quickly looked at Max, trying to find relief in is eyes:

 _"Don't worry Pheebs, I'm here with you."_ Max tried to calm her down by talking in her mind, and wrapping his right arm around her waist.

 _"Thanks honey."_ She mentally thanked.

But before they could share a smile to help them feel better, the door opened so fast that they didn't even had time to separate from each other, but none of that mattered, because all of a sudden, Barb appeared right in front of them, wearing a nice purple dress, and happily yelling the moment she saw them:

"Oh my wittle twinsies! Give your mommy a hug!"

They didn't have to move a muscle, because Barb ran in her heels to hug them with all her strengths, just like she did when they were kids. This brought Max and Phoebe some old memories, especially from those funny parties they had every year in Metroburg.

"I told you." He reminded Phoebe, right before having that hug along with Phoebe.

"We're so happy to see you too mom, but you're suffocating us..." Phoebe said, trying to hug her too.

"I second that..." Max supported her comment, without letting go the waist of her twin.

Right after the excited mother let them free, Max took off his arm from Phoebe's waist and he gave a small sigh of relief, just like her. For some reason they didn't know what to do next, they just stood there in front of Barb.

"But don't you just stay there, come on in! Dinner's almost ready." The women told them, taking both of their hands, effusively.

Once inside of the living room, they didn't have to wait a second, because Hank was waiting them in the middle of the room, dressed for a casual party. He had a big smile of happiness, and when the twins saw his arms were extending, they knew what was coming... Thunderman's super hug.

"Finally! The heroes of Hiddenville! Come here!" Hank shouted out hugging them immediately, almost lifting both of them in the air, but putting them dangerously close to each other.

"Wait dad..." Phoebe tried to aware him about his strength, but it was too late.

"Your choking us...!" Max added with a barely hearable voice.

"I'm sorry." Hank apologized right after he let them go.

Barb threw a threatening look at him, after seeing her poor little twins started coughing, trying to catch their breaths after the powerful hug. Hank just shrugged his shoulders and looked at her without knowing what to say, but she couldn't blame him, cause he hasn't seen his older children in months, but unlike her, Barb didn't have super strength.

"My poor babies... Are you okay?" A worried Barb asked them.

"Yeah, we're cool, ma. Just dad being dad." Max rushed to reply.

"Sure, it was just a little grip. Nothing the Heroes of Hiddenville can't handle." Phoebe added, showing the best of her smiles, and motioning the words with her hands. "And... where are the others?" She asked right away, when she finally catch her breath.

It was funny she asked that because at that very moment, they heard some noises in the kitchen, and then a powerful wind made some objects fly to the living room. Hank and Barb went to the kitchen, and the twins followed them.

The next thing they saw was a young man with glasses and short hair, probably 5'6". He was wearing a white sweater and blue jeans, and had something in his hands. There was a girl he was carrying on his back, and she looked a little shorter than him. She had light brown hair and was wearing a red sweater, black jeans and an elegant black beret. They were the younger siblings Billy and Nora.

After the girl jumped off of his back, she closed the kitchen's door and then they turned to see their parents walking in the kitchen.

"Oh, you were right mom, there are no more turkeys in the stores, we had to go to Paris to buy one." Nora said, as she seated in one of the chairs.

Billy and Nora were asked to go find a turkey for dinner, because with all the excitement of Max and Phoebe's visit, Hank forgot to buy it.

"Yeah, we took so long because Nora wanted to buy a beret." Billy informed, putting the turkey on the table, then he took a seat next to her.

"Hey... what's the best place to buy berets than the _ville de l'amour_?" Nora answered, trying to justify her whim.

In the last few years, Nora stopped using bows after she left middle school, and preferred to focus on the berets, but that doesn't meant she had to get rid of her favorite bows. Now, the 17 years old girl was in her senior year at Hiddenville High, but she had to take an important decision; going to Hero University, or the University of Florida.

Billy just turned 19 years old and decided to study Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida last year, and even if he spent the whole day in the campus, he still living with his parents, because with his super speed he could come and go in just a few seconds. If Nora decides to study in the same college, he's planning to move with her near the campus to study together, just like their older siblings.

"Hey guys!" Phoebe greeted them when she walked in the kitchen with Max.

"Hey, I thought you weren't coming!" Billy exclaimed, very excited.

They quickly stood up and gave them a hug. They haven't seen the twins for a couple years, so they were really happy for seeing them again.

"Not coming here? And lose the family dinner? Never." Max firmly said.

"That's what you said last year... and the year before that." Nora reminded them, putting a hand on her waist.

The twins tried to visit Hank and Barb regularly, but most of the times they were alone in the house. With Billy at the college and Nora having fun with her friends, they actually spent so little time there. The only person who saw them more often was Chloe, because they frequently invited her to watch some movies.

"Yeah well... we were a little busy but... this year is different, very different." Phoebe assured, remarking the last two words, because she couldn't help but thinking about the big secret they would confess after dinner.

Things were going better than expected, Max and Phoebe were astonished for seeing their siblings again, and they couldn't believe how much they grew up in just two years. Billy was practically as tall as Max, and Nora looked completely different since she began with her trainings. They weren't kids anymore, they were adults now.

"Well it's getting late, Nora why don't you thaw the turkey while I prepare the other stuff?" Barb indicated, as she walked to the fridge to take everything else and put them on the island.

"Sure." Nora accepted, throwing two lasers at the turkey, melting the ice in just a couple seconds.

"Chloe! Your siblings are here!" Hank yelled, getting close to the stairs.

The smallest member of the Thunderman was the only one they haven't seen since their arrival, and after a few seconds, the girl teleported right in the middle of the kitchen. She was wearing a black sweater, a dark jean skirt and brown boots. Her blonde hair was hanging loose to her shoulders.

She was shaking her head while grabbing her phone with both hands, which was playing a heavy metal song turned up full blast, which took the other by surprise and stopped what they were doing to look at her the moment she appeared.

"What?" She asked while looking at the screen of her phone.

After noticing no one said a word, she stopped the song (Slayer - Raining Blood), and put the phone in her pocket. When she turned around, she saw the twins in front of her.

"Max! Phoebe!" She shouted out very excited and hugged them at the same time.

"Hey, did you missed us little sister?" Max questioned after the hug.

"Of course, babies!" She replied with a smile.

"Max and I are so excited to hear your favorite songs. I brought my ear plugs this time!." Phoebe said, taking out the plugs out of her pocket.

"With my new playlist, they're gonna blow!" Chloe assured.

Clearly her music tastes were not Phoebe's favorite kind of music, but still, she tried to spend some time with her little sister. She grew up so fast too, and one of her dreams is having one of the twins as her mentor, but she just can't decide who's going to be.

"I think I'm going to blow if I don't eat something. Anyone else's hungry?" Hank tried to find some support.

"We bought an apple pie, I'll bring it right now." Phoebe informed, walking to the door.

"I'll go with you." Max rushed to say, running after her.

 **08:05 PM.**

After that, all the family was at the table about to eat the delicious dinner Barb and Nora prepared together. Without a doubt, Laser Girl's power have been developed considerably during all these years, getting such amazing control over them, that now she was able to regulate the power of her shoots, no matter if she used them to bake different kind of foods perfectly.

Everything was ready, Max and Phoebe were seated together, Billy was next to Nora, and Chloe was next to her parents. The only thing left was the tradition of the Thunderman family; saying what they're most thankful for this year.

"Well, I think it's time to give thanks, right?" Hank proposed, taking all their attention. "I'd like to give thanks for this delicious feast, the dinner wouldn't be the same without this awesome turkey." He kept saying, but after seeing Barb's expression, he rushed to say: "And of course... without my wife none of this would be possible. Love you babe."

After the stifling moment, Barb took the floor:

"I just feel thankful for having all my family here, because even if we've going through very hard times, I know that we'll always find support in each other, and we will always be together." She expressed, giving a smile to everyone. "Max? Phoebe?" She looked at them, "Anyone?"

Normally, Phoebe was one of the first to speak in front of the others, and this time was no exception.

"Well... this year has been really important for both of us, and I know that we've been far away from all of you for so long, but I'll always be thankful because I know that I'll always count on you. And Max... Thank you for always being there for me. I promise I'll always be there for you." Phoebe concluded, leaving a smile in everyone, especially her brother, who rushed to be the next to talk.

"All I can say is that you're really lucky for having me here tonight, obviously the dinner wouldn't be the same without me." Max said with a mocking tone, taking all of the smiles around him. "I'm joking... I'm really grateful for being part of this family. I've learned a lot of things from every one of you, and I know I can always come to you if I need help. Especially you... Phoebe. Thank you, for everything." He stated, drawing a special smile on his twin.

None of them realized, but at that moment they totally forgot they should pretend to be fighting or at least be annoying to each other like they did in the past. By not doing this, the family got really surprised when they heard the twins being so nice to each other. So when they finally realized their mistake, Barb had to break the ice so they could continue with the tradition.

"That was... very cute, Max, Phoebe. Uhm... Anyone else?" She asked, turning to face the others. Billy was the one who raised his hand to take the floor.

"I want to give thanks for all the support you gave me when I decided to study in Florida. No one judged me for putting aside my Super Hero career, and that means a lot to me... and the refuge puppies too, if they could talk of course." He concluded, gaining some nervous smiles. "Uhm... Nora?" he said, looking at his sister.

"Well... I'd like to use this moment to announce that I made my decision... Next year I'm going to Florida to study in Law School because, after I saw all the support you gave Billy, I knew you wouldn't let me down. I really feel grateful for the family I have, especially for you... Billy." Nora said, looking at her brother with a smile.

Everyone else were carefully listening to what they had to say, there was no bad faces or boring expressions, it was like the distance they had in the last years would have made them feel so united, even more than they were before. There was only one person left, the youngest Thunderman, Chloe.

"Honey... you're next." Barb announced.

"I'm happy because you let me study in the Secret Academy of Super Powers, after insisting for weeks..." Chloe said, lowering her voice in the last part. "...and for having this family and... all that stuff. Can we have dinner, please? I'm starving, babies." The little girl concluded, making everyone laugh at her last comment.

"I second that, darling. Time to cut the turkey!" Hank exclaimed taking the knife from the table, in front of all those faces of happiness, and as he made the first cut, he looked at Max: "Hey son... Have you heard something about my old enemy?" He asked him while moving the knife.

"Yeah he called me yesterday, he said he would be in Metroburg for Thanksgiving, with his mother." Max replied as he poured some wine in his cup.

"It's nice to hear that." Hank commented the moment he served the first piece of turkey for his wife.

"Yeah... when you pretend to be good, you actually become good." Phoebe added, earning a smile from her twin.

That's exactly what happened 5 years ago, when the Hero League Council determined Dr. Colosso was not a thread for society anymore, they decided to turn him into a human again and grant his freedom. He was very happy, but since he didn't have a job to continue with his life, he decided to work as a Hero League scientific, which surely made Mrs. Colosso very proud.

"Oh and... Max, Phoebe, I hope you're not planning going to bed early, because I want you to tell me everything you've doing since you graduated from Hero U. Everything! In great detail!" Hank told them very excited, which made the twins share a nervous look the moment they heard that.

Max and Phoebe got really nervous for this sudden comment, it was inevitable, because without even knowing, their father said certain things that made them flush in just a second. There was no way he could imagine that behind these innocent words, there was a big secret waiting to be revealed.

After that distressing moment, the twins smiled to each other at the same time, and tried to change the subject:

"And uhm... what's for dessert?" Max asked, pretending curiosity.

"Yeah, do you have Brussels sprouts?" Phoebe added right away.

 **November 25, 2022, Friday.** **  
 **12:25 AM.****

Everyone had a great moment during the whole dinner, they enjoyed the feast, the dessert, the drinks, but above all, they had one of the greatest nights they've ever had in years. They could almost say they had the best Thanksgiving of their life.

After dinner, finally Hank got what he wanted, because for more than two hours, Max and Phoebe talked about most of the missions they had together in the last few years.

Hank and Barb were so happy for the twins, because they finally learned to treat each other well and work together as a team. Deep down inside them they always knew they would, but when they realized how far the twins have come, they started to feel so proud.

Their younger siblings were so amazed too. Since they were kids, they've always admired them, and when they heard all those awesome stories, they were begging to hear more but it was getting late, and in the blink of an eye, it was past midnight.

During all that time, Max and Phoebe tried to tell the family about their secret, several times. The whole family was at the living room, it was the perfect moment to tell them, but every time they tried, something happened:

"Mom, dad... we have something to..." Phoebe tried to say, with no success.

"Wait Pheebs... What was the name of your mentee? I wanna follow her on Chirper." Nora interrupted while taking out her phone.

"Keely Greer." She quickly answered.

No matter how hard they tried, Hank, Barb and their siblings always had questions to make, they had hundreds of them, so many details they needed to know. It was impossible for them to find the perfect moment to talk about the subject.

"Hey guys, Pheobe and I want to tell you..." Max tried to talk about it too, but he couldn't,

"Max, how many ATM you destroyed while doing your mission?" Billy asked him, very curious.

"Once again, three." Max told him, a little annoyed.

After they told the last story on Chloe's petition, Hank and Barb decided it was time to sleep, which wasn't well received by Max and Phoebe.

Since they started on Hero U, the twins used to stay and sleep in their old rooms during Thanksgiving, and just like in other years, their parents offered the house once again. They didn't hesitate to accept.

The twins had no other option, they had to wait till next morning to tell about their secret.

 **1:37 AM.**

It was past 1 in the morning and everyone was sleeping in their rooms, except for the twins. They've spent hours without kissing, touching each other or holding hands, even after sitting together during the dinner, they felt like they needed something. They tried to hide it in front of the others as much as they could, but they perfectly knew that the only thing they needed, was sharing a kiss like there's no tomorrow.

Now they were in their own rooms, Max in his lair and Phoebe in her bedroom in the second floor. It wasn't the first time they slept in their old rooms again, but still, they couldn't help but feel something awkward every time they got back. Their rooms looked like the same sicne the day they moved. Barb was responsible for this, because she missed her little twins all days.

They normally slept 'till the next morning, right before getting back to the apartment, but this night was different. Max was laid in the middle of his bed, wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He had his phone in his hands and his futuristic lamp was turned on, because no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't sleep. He just needed his other half.

On the other hand, Phoebe was seated on her bed. She dressed with a light-blue tank top and a comfortable white sweat pants, her hair was loose on her right shoulder. Her face had no trace of make-up, and since the night was getting cold than before, she put on a warm sheet. She couldn't sleep either, ever since she got in the room.

Thanks to telepathy, Max and Phoebe perfectly knew they weren't sleeping, so they didn't need much time to start to communicate with their minds, even if they were in separated rooms, something they learned after several weeks of constant practice.

 _"Babe... babe, you're up?"_ Max tried to call her mentally.

 _"Yeah, I can't sleep. Honey I'm so nervous."_ She answered right away.

 _"I know, me too but... we can't do anything right now, just wait." He said, facing reality._

They were supposed to tell everyone about their relationship right after the dinner, but now they had to wait for hours, and that was preventing them from sleeping.

 _"_ _Look, why don't we talk until we fall asleep? Okay?"_ Max suggested.

 _"Yeah, sounds good, let's try that."_ Phoebe agreed, closing her eyes to hear his voice clearly.

 _"Okay, I was checking up my Chirper account, and I found something very interesting. Wait, I'll send it to you."_ He began to explain while sending the message.

 _"What?! What is that? 'Thundercest'?"_ She immediately asked, not knowing what her eyes were seeing.

 _"Well... I think that's our 'ship name' whatever that means. Looks like there's a group of people on Chirper and Tumblr who think the Thundertwins are romantically involved."_ He stated.

 _"Oh my god! But we're twins!"_ Phoebe exclaimed, with a fake tone of surprise.

 _"Very funny, babe."_ He ironically said.

This was the first time they saw the word 'Thundercest' and they couldn't stop thinking about the whole thing. Phoebe perfectly knew what did the 'cest' stand for, and as she scrolled down through the website in her phone, she thought it was ironic, cause they were actually having an incestuous relationship, just like those people imagined.

 _"Yeah, well... we can't say they're wrong."_ She seriously stated.

 _"I guess not..."_ Max agreed with her.

"I miss you." Phoebe confessed, with a sweet tone of voice.

 _"Me too."_ He admitted, trying to hear more of her thoughts.

 _"Oh wait... I have a great idea..."_ Phoebe said, abruptly.

Max just stayed there, waiting for Phoebe's answer, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't listen to her. As the time passed, he kept calling her with his mind but he didn't have an answer of his twin. He didn't understand what happened, he thought something was wrong with his telepathy, or maybe she fall asleep, but just when he was about to send a message with his MePhone S7, he heard something.

All of a sudden, Phoebe slid down the lair and landed on his bed, which took Max by surprise. Right after that, the girl turned to him, and with a quick movement, she ended up over him, and he immediately hugged her.

Max was happy to have Phoebe in his arms again. He wanted to kiss her on the lips, but then he began to worry about someone discovering them. If they were trying to make the family accept their relationship, definetley, that was not the best way to get it.

"Babe what are you doing?! They're gonna see us!" Max whispered, visibly worried.

"Relax honey, everyone's sleeping, I checked. So you can stop whispering." She tried to convince him, with a big smile.

Before going down there, the young girl changed the clothes she chose before going to bed, now she was using a white tank top, and a pair of pink shorts. She loved to use that attire to sleep with him. When he saw her clothes, he couldn't help but thinking they won't be sleeping for the next 2 hours.

"So... no one will hear us? Thundercest, uh? I bet they'd never imagined this."He assured, getting close to her lips.

"I've been waiting to do this all night." She confessed, leaning over him.

"You're not the only one." Max said with a soft voice.

Then he kissed her lips with the same passion they felt when they had sex for the first time. He was tasting the sweet flavor of her lips, which always pushed him to go further and further. He began caressing her back with both hands, and soon, he placed one of them near the lower border of her tank top.

With every one of his caresses she would get the chills so fast, and her heartbeats were stronger than ever, Max could barely hear them for being that close to her. Phoebe placed her arms across his chest, and she lovely held his face with both hands, trying to deep the kiss. It's been just a few hours since the last time they were in the apartment room together, but yet, they seemed like they haven't seen each other in days.

Max didn't take so long to slide his hand under Phoebe's tank top, and went from her waist to her breasts. Phoebe got thrilled every time his hand moved through her skin, and she felt like she was having a dream. He didn't take his lips out of hers, and for that, both of their breaths were getting really heavy.

In the middle of their passion, they stopped the kiss and Phoebe seated on his legs. She grabbed the border of her top tank with both hands, and with a simple movement, she took it off and threw it on the floor. There was nothing more covering her breasts, so she gave Max a naughty smile and kissed him again with the same passion they had before.

There were no innocent kisses between them anymore, because now their tongues were joined in an endless kiss. From time to time, their hands would intertwine their fingers like trying to make this moment last forever, but they let their hands go very fast, because all their bodies were asking for, was more caresses.

Suddenly, Max wrapped her in his arms and left her lips again, then he firmly lifted her body to get seated on the bed with her. When he stopped moving, Phoebe wrapped her legs around his waist, and having this position, Max began to take his shirt off to throw it on the floor, next to Phoebe's tank top.

Right after that, Max rushed to kiss her neck, as Phoebe tried not to lose her breath. The night was long enough for them to share this special moment. For one second, the world could just wait.

"I love you." Phoebe said directly to his ear.

"I love you more." He replied, without stopping his caresses.

 **To be continued...**


	5. Till death do us apart

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

"Oh my god you're back!" The young girl exclaimed stirring of feelings.

After a long month of investigation and undercover work, Max was finally able to return to the apartment at Delta Tower. During that time, he missed Phoebe with all his strengths and in the next few days, all they wanted to do was to recover the time they lost, together.

The young couple was gathered again, ready to continue with their forbidden love. But life is not like a bowl of cherries, because Thanksgiving was coming, and so the day where they had to confess their biggest secret to the whole family. Phoebe was the most worried about that night.

"It's just... I'm just a little nervous, that's all." Phoebe confessed him, trying to hide her feelings.

"No matter what happens today, we're gonna be together forever." He assured, without stopping looking at her eyes.

For once, they could finally have a spare time, and later that afternoon, they got back to Hidenville suburbs, ready for Thanksgiving dinner in their parents' house.

"Oh my wittle twinsies! Give your mommy a hug!"

After an emotional meeting with their parents and younger siblings, Max and Phoebe had a very pleasant dinner with them, and at that moment, they felt so grateful for being part of that family. They were sure this was the best Thanksgiving ever.

"Time to cut the turkey!" Hank exclaimed taking the knife from the table, in front of all those faces of happiness.

After dinner, the Thunderman twins felt like it was time to reveal the secret, but no matter how hard they tried, they could never tell them about it, so they had to wait until next morning.

In the early hours of the morning, the twins could not control their feelings, and they clandestinely met in Max's lair, in the middle of the night, eager to demonstrate their love one more time. They needed each other so much, that they always ended up getting attracted unconsciously, just like gravity.

"I've been waiting to do this all night." She confessed, leaning over him.

"You're not the only one." Max said with a soft voice.

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 5: Till death do us apart.**

 **Thunderman's House, Hiddenville Suburbs.** **  
 **November 25, 2022, Friday.**  
 **08:52 AM.****

There was a deep silence inside of the room, nothing more could be heard except for the soft breathings of a young lovers couple that were now sleeping on the bed, shrouded in several white sheets. Anyone who could see them, would have no doubt that their love was just like any other couples, except for the fact that they shared their birthday, and grew up together in the same house.

Some hours after that secret meeting in the lair, Max and Phoebe spent the night together again, even when they thought it wouldn't happen, or at least not in their parents' house.

When he was a villain, Max always tried to imagine what it would be like to break one of Hank's rules about not bringing girls into his room. During those days, he wasn't even scared to do it but that night, just before falling asleep, he broke that rule, he just never thought he would do it with his own sister.

Now here they were, peacefully sleeping on Max's bed, just like husband and wife. Max wrapped her in his arms very carefully, and Phoebe rested her head on his chest, as she hugged him with such firmness, like she was trying to prevent him from running away.

They had a soft smile on their faces, and even sleeping, that special contact they had with their warm hugs, has always provided with so much happiness. They would've stay like that for hours and hours, if it wasn't for the sudden noise they heard at the same time.

It was Phoebe's phone, which had an old alarm clock as the ringtone. Some seconds later, they began to move very slowly, trying to open their eyes but without breaking that warm hug.

"Good morning honey... Wake up..." Phoebe said while slipping her hand under the pillow to grab her phone and turn the alarm off.

"Just give me ten minutes, babe." Max replied, rubbing his eyes.

"And... what's in for me?" She asked, with a curious voice and a smile on her lips.

"Uhm... Kisses and more kisses?" He answered as a question.

"Okay you win, but just ten minutes. Deal?" She suggested while lifting her pinky, waiting for his answer.

"Deal." He accepted, intertwining his finger with hers.

Soon, they cuddled again and tried to sleep just a little bit. They both had their eyes closed but they were still conscious, and even if they were able to hear each other breaths, their ears weren't able to figure out what they heard from the other side of the door they locked last night, or the metallic wall covering the slide.

They were trying to spend all the time they had together, because they knew that once they leave that room, things would change forever. Soon after, the silence around the lair was interrupted by Phoebe:

"Honey..." She tried to ask with all her sweetness, rubbing his chest.

"Yeah?" Max questioned, without even opening his eyes.

"I've been thinking... " Phoebe started to say, but she had to make a short pause to make out the question. "If we're gonna be together forever, do you think we could have... babies, someday?" She suddenly asked, making her twin open the eyes the moment he heard what she said.

"Babies? Honey, nothing would make me happier than starting a family with you." Max assured her, right before caressing her cheek, very carefully.

"Oh, you're so sweet! Come here." Phoebe said, before hugging him again.

Some days ago, Phoebe was dying for asking that question and she didn't know how he'd react, but the answer she just heard has made her so happy, and at that very moment, they hugged again and close the eyes at the same time, trying to make those 5 minutes count as much as they could. When the silence has taken over the place, suddenly a voice was heard:

"I'm sure we would have twins." Max stated, putting a beautiful smile on his twin's face.

"Max and Phoebe." The girl concluded, firmly taking his hand.

 **09:05 AM.**

Soon after, the twins got up from the bed and got dressed with the things they were using last night. While they were doing that, they shared some complicit looks, just like two kids that had committed a mischief. They wanted to kiss one more time, but they perfectly knew where that'd lead them, so they tried to focus and get ready for what was coming to them.

They knew the family would be awake, because sometimes they used to go to the mall for black Friday sales, so when they finally got ready to go, they stood in front of the other and looked in their eyes for some seconds. Their eyes could only reflect doubts, insecurity, even fear, but they left everything behind the moment they hold their hands, just like the first time they did.

"You ready?" Max asked, giving her a soft smile.

"Always." Phoebe seriously replied, trying to smile back.

They walked up the stairs and when they were at the lair's door, Max touched his smartwatch to unlock the slide entrance and his door lock. Phoebe turned the knob and slowly opened the door, but right before they put a foot out of there, they shared another look and gave a deep sigh.

The time has come.

They walked through the hallway and never let their hands go in their way to the living room, not even a second. Their hearts were beating faster with every step, they couldn't believe what they were about to do. When they finally made it to the living room, they stood in the middle and saw no one was there, but they heard some voices and laughs coming from the kitchen, so they came to the conclusion that they'd be having breakfast.

Max and Phoebe looked at each other with concern in their eyes. It was now or never:

"Mom! Dad!" They said at the same time, rising up the voice so they could be heard.

Suddenly, their hands started to shake, they knew there was no turning back, and then they felt the need to take a step back, turn around and ran out of the house, all what's necessary to not facing this difficult moment. But instead, they just tightened their hands and stood there, side by side, ready for whatever it comes.

"Is something wrong kids?" Barb asked from the kitchen, the moment she heard them.

None of them have seen the twins yet, because they were seated at the table eating the waffles and orange juice Barb made for the family. After her question, everyone kept eating the breakfast quietly but yet, they waited to hear their voices, everyone but Hank.

"Yeah it's just..." Phoebe tried to say, but she hesitated in the last second.

"...We have something to tell you." Max finished her phrase, with the same words she was going to use.

At that very moment, all the family members dropped their forks on the dishes, and stood up from their chairs to listen to them, because judging by their tone of voice, whatever they wanted to say, seemed to be important.

Then, Max and Phoebe saw their parents and younger's siblings walking away from the table, and they immediately tightened their hands even more. But as they left the kitchen, something happened abruptly:

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

The Thunder-Monitor's voice began to announce a call, but unlike the monitor from the apartment, this actually accepted all communications, so when the screen was raising up, Max and Phoebe let their hands go immediately, just in time to see Evelyn Kickbutt appearing on the screen. Soon after, the rest of the family walked in, and they all gathered in the living room to attend the transmission.

The twins shared a nervous look, it was like the universe was getting in their way to make things happen like that. For just one minute, they actually felt relief for having this interruption, but they perfectly knew they were just delaying the inevitable.

One more time, the secret would have to wait.

"Good morning Thundermans. I hope I'm not ruining your black Friday shopping, but I have something very important to tell your children." Evelyn informed form her office at Hero League.

"Good morning Super President, oh and don't worry, the foot massager can wait." Hank answered, showing more interest in what she wanted to say.

"What's wrong Evelyn?" Max asked her by telling her name, and realized of his mistake half a second later. "I mean... Super President." He corrected himself immediately, gaining an authoritarian look from her.

"Well it's a classified case but since we're out of time, I'll go straight to the point. Our research team finally got all we need to attack the Villains League."

"Did they find something in the files I got you?" Max questioned, remembering his last visit to the headquarters.

"Yeah, do you remember your college friend from Hero U, Abigail Ashford? Well, thanks to her technopath abilities and the data Max stole for us, Miss Ashford was able to hack their communications and found out something critical. They're planning to attack Hiddenville Galleria today, with 5 of their best men, all of them with super powers, offensive super powers." She stated, with a serious look.

"And that's not all, Max told me they have a lot of guys like the ones we fought with in the jewelry. How are we going to stop them all without putting the people in danger? There will be dozens of them due to the black Friday." Phoebe asked very worried, as she walked to the monitor with Max by her side.

All the family has remained in silence, listening to President Kickutt's critical news, even Chloe seemed to be more interested than before, because unlike her other siblings, she would love to become a Superhero.

"You won't have to, because we're gonna make the first move before they can put a foot out of Volt-N-Save. According to Max's report, once they call again, this Chameleon guy will take him to his leader to get new instructions. After studying all of our information, now we know that Max is going to be one of the 5 men involved in the attack at Hiddenville Galleria." She stated.

"And that's important because?" Max asked her, crossing his arms.

"They're expecting you to go with those 4 guys, but before accomplishing their mission they're gonna call you, and when they do, you'll have to go with them to meet their leader. Phoebe that's where you come in, you'll enter by surprise and fight against them together." Evelyn explained them, as she took some papers from the desk.

"I'll be ready." Phoebe replied, looking confident.

"You'll have to stop them all, including the leader, so I suggest you to take down the ones with super powers first. The rest of them will be easy to handle, if you work together and use your powers wisely."

It won't be the first time that Max and Phoebe needed to fight against lots of criminals, because they previously stopped dozens of them by only using their telekinesis, but this time they'll need to have a better plan, because if they had to deal with 4 guys with powers, things could get really wrong. Unfortunately for them, that's not everything they'll have to worry about.

"Have you heard anything about the orb?" Phoebe asked, expecting to receive any good news about it.

"Nothing, but I'm almost sure they stole it, so you'll have to be careful, we can't risk to let them steal any of your powers, we would be in disadvantage, especially if one of them has Plasmakinesis."

"At least the orb didn't have Dark Mayhem's powers anymore. You should've destroyed the pieces we left in Hawaii." Max said with regret, after remembering those unforgettable vacations from 2017.

"I told them we should've gone to Delaware but no one listened." Billy said, taking everyone's looks.

"I agree with you Max, we thought we could use it for mankind, it'd be very useful to stop dangerous villains, but we're not gonna make that same mistake. If you bring it back, we will destroy it this time. Oh and... I almost forgot, Ashford found the next picture..." Super President said while activating a holographic projection.

That's when the whole family could actually see the real face of Dark Slaughter. The picture was kind of blurry but still, they were able to see that men with thick eyebrows and cold black eyes. But above all, that distinctive scar that covered a big part of his face.

"We believe he's the leader of the Villains League, his real name is still a mystery, but all the files we got lead us to this man. There's practically nothing about him, it's like he doesn't exit. I don't want to get ahead of myself but maybe he's the one with Plasmakinesis." Evelyn stated, with a serious tone of voice.

"What time is this going to happen?" Max inquired, after sharing a concern look with his twin sister.

"Today's Midday. They won't take so long to call you, so I need both of you to be here in exactly one hour, there are some things you gotta know about the mission. Right now I'm sending an agent to Delta Tower to bring the Pontiac back, you'll have to use it to get there. We're on deadline so... get ready, now! Super President Kickbutt, out." She seriously concluded by pressing a button from her keyboard.

After that, the screens was turned off and slide down in the furniture again. The family began to share some concern looks after what they just heard, and at certain moment, Max and Phoebe crossed with each other's eyes and nodded at the same time. The last phase of the mission was coming.

"I think we should... get hurry." Max said, looking at his sister.

"Yeah, I'll go upstairs to take a shower, I'll see you here in fifteen minutes." She answered, walking to the stairs.

"Right, I'll do the same. See you here." He agreed, walking to the hallway.

Then, the twins began running to get ready for the mission, ignoring the whole family, because once they got focused like that, they'd forgot about everything else. When they were about to leave the room, suddenly someone stopped them in their tracks:

"Hey wait... What did you guys wanted to tell us?" Barb curiously asked, the moment she remembered the reason they stopped the breakfast.

"I think that can wait mom, we have to go." Max quickly stated, in order to keep running to his lair.

And so, they continued with their own way, leaving all the others filled with thoughts.

 **Hero League, Metroburg.** **  
 **09:50 AM.****

Almost one hour later, Max and Phoebe were in front of the Hero League building, ready to continue with the mission they started more than two months ago. Chloe helped them to teleport, under the promise that they will tell her everything once they got back from the battle.

"Thanks for bringing us Chloe." Phoebe said, letting go her little sister's hand, while Max did the same.

"You welcome babies. And remember..." The girl tried to warn them, but she was interrupted by her older brother.

"Yeah, we'll tell you everything when we got the apartment." Max assured her, perfectly knowing what she was going to say.

"Cool! Oh and... You can let your hands go now..." The blonde girl commented while pointing at their hands, due to her teleportation requirements. "Bye!" After that, she smiled at them and teleported back home.

The twins shared some embarrassed looks after what just happened, they have been very careful about hiding their feelings around the family, but they were so focused on the mission, that they even realized that.

They let their hands go so quickly, not because they wanted to do it, but because they were in a public place, and they knew a lot of people there. They couldn't risk to be seen by someone, it could raised suspicions. After they found out about the word "Thundercest" on the internet, they had enough things to take worried about.

After that embarrassing moment, they smiled at the same time and went to the building together. They were already using their super suits, but this time, it was a new version with a high resistance material, but the design and colors were the same. Max brought a black tactical jacket with him, because he still had to go undercover for the last time.

The twins walked up the stairs from the entrance, and when they were in front of those big doors, they finally had access to the building, after scanning their hands and iris on the biometric scanner.

 **09:58 AM.**

They used the elevator to get to the last floor of the building, the one where Super President Kickbutt's office was placed, and the one they should be at 10 o clock. When they walked to the glass door, it automatically opened to let them get inside.

Evelyn was in front of the large table she used for reunions. It had 4 chairs on both sides and one more chair in one of the edges. Right above the table, there was a holographic projector showing all the data they collected about the Villains League in all that time, such as their main members, their location, and a list with photos and info about the 4 criminals assigned to attack Hiddenville Galleria, and one incomplete profile in the middle; the leader.

Four of the chairs were occupied by Simone Kickbutt, Santiago Hernández, Keely Greer and Chester Sullivan. All of them were using common clothes. Evelyn was the only one who was standing in front of the table, and the twins thought she must have been projecting something very important. After seeing the twins, she addressed them:

"Max, Phoebe, you're just in time." She welcomed them without putting aside her serious semblance.

"We're ready." Max announced in a confident tone.

"Good... but we're not. Sit down." Evelyn demanded, pointing at the empty chairs.

Max and Phoebe proceeded to sit down in front of Keely and Chester. Phoebe wanted to say hi to her old mentee but she wouldn't dare to interrupt her boss, and she just greeted them by waving her hand, with a smile on her face.

"Now, before you arrived I was checking with B-Squad here, some things you have to know before putting a foot out of this place." She said as she took the remote control from the table.

"Are you coming with us too?" Phoebe asked after seeing President Kickbutt seemed to be planning something else, but none of them could answer her question, because Evelyn took the floor.

"No Phoebe, they're gonna be watching at Hiddenville Galleria. B-Squad will be ready to stop any suspicious person. They may or may not appear, so please be alert. I already talked to B-Squad about these 4 persons but just to let both of you know, their aliases are; Aqua, Steel, Banshee and Toxic. They all have offensive powers; hydrokinesis, metal mimicry, hyper screaming, and toxic emission." She said while facing the twins.

"Excuse me, I already read the manual and never saw anything about metal mimicry. What is that?" Keely asked by rising up her arm.

"It's a very weird power we haven't heard from in so many years. Basically, this guy can turn every part of his body into metal." Evelyn explained the young hero.

"Wow! Just like the bad guy from Terminator 2?" Chester asked her, astonished.

"No Chester, he can't change the form of his extremities, he just turns into metal." She made it clear for him.

Then, Evelyn projected a list with all those persons, but there were no photos or names on them, because Max never had the chance to face meet them, and even if he got close to them, they always had the ski mask on.

"Phoebe, you and Max are going to Volt-N-Save facilities and when the time comes, you're gonna stop the Villains League once and for all." Evelyn explained while showing on the table a 3D map with both locations.

"And if something happens, you can count with us, nobody will get hurt." Keely stated, looking at the twins.

"Keely and I are going to be in the parking lot, wearing civilian clothes. Simone and Santiago will be inside." Chester concluded, pointing at both places on the 3D projection.

"Exactly, now... there are 71.45 Miles between both places, so..." She kept saying, but suddenly, she was interrupted by someone.

"Maybe we should go with them mom, there will be dozens of men with guns, including those with powers, I bet Keely and her boyfriend will know what to do if things get out of control in Hiddenville." She young girl stated, staring at her mother with a serious look.

Simone seemed to be having left her "evil phase" behind. She has been dating Santiago for just a few days, but now she seemed to be more responsible than before. Her nature hasn't really changed, and when she shared her opinion, she wasn't trying to defy her mother in front of the others, she actually tried to help.

"For the last time Simone, no. Max and Phoebe are going to take care of this, they have more experience in this kind of assignments. Okay, as I was saying, there are 71.45 Miles between both places, so if those bastards want to attack your city, they'll need about 1 hour and ten minutes to get there. I just hope they call you soon Max, I don't know if we have the..."

All of a sudden, there was a phone ringing in the office. It was Max's phone, the one he used for undercover works. He quickly grabbed it from his jacket and accepted the call by sliding his finger on the screen.

"Yeah...?" Max said, waiting for the other person to talk. " Right now? Sure... I'll be there in 40 minutes. Bye." He finished the call, placing his phone on the metallic table.

"Chameleon I suppose. Okay, you'll have to be there at 10:40 AM, that's enough time to introduce you to their leader and drive all the way to Hiddenville." President Kickbutt commented as she walked to her desk to take a small aluminum briefcase. "You have to get hurry, but first... let me give you this." She told the twins, while she opened the briefcase in front of them.

"What is this?" Phoebe asked the moment she saw the content.

There were two small tubes inside, not bigger than palm of her hand. They had a small plastic container in the center, which seemed to be filled with a shining blue liquid, and had a transparent cap in one of the edges, which covered some small needles.

"They're micro-syringes created by Max's old friend, Dr. Colosso. They have a formula that was created from Santiago's genetic code. It will allow regenerating your body just like him. Skin, organs, bones... everything. Once you inject with the formula directly to your neck, no injury will kill you. Unfortunately, it only works for 15 minutes, so you have to choose the right moment, carefully. They're extremely hard to synthesize, and that's why we only have these two... for you." She stated.

Then, Max and Phoebe took their own syringe, and hold it in their hands to take a closer look. They couldn't believe how far the Hero League has gone with this technological breakthrough. Without a doubt, it'd be very useful.

"Wait, are you telling me that we're going to inject with his blood?" Max questioned her, while pointing at Simone's boyfriend as he talked.

"Dude, when you put it that way everything sounds awful. They're just some small DNA strings that will temporary stick to your organism, oh and... Relax, my powers has made me immune to any kind of disease, so you and your sister are gonna be fine." Santiago explained with an uncaring attitude, crossing his arms.

"Well... sounds good, we're gonna have more time to kick some butts, right Max?" Phoebe said with a mocking voice, trying to find her brother's approval.

"Yeah sure, and now I know who I should blame if I get cold." He sarcastically said, carefully looking at the syringe.

"You can trust my muffin here, he knows about this stuff, right corazón?" Simone assured, as she turned to face him and smile at him.

"Claro que sí." Santiago replied in Spanish, smiling back.

Evelyn was so pleased that Simone was getting rid of her evil ways by having a boyfriend, but now she had to see her daughter and him kissing all the time. She was forced to stop them in more than one occasion, especially when they were in the headquarters. And now she was there, trying to ignore her display of affection.

"Anyway... I'll make they send Phoebe a more detailed map for Volt-N-Save installations, that'd be very handy. Well, I think that's about all so... now it's time. This mission is very important for us, is the result of a whole year of investigations. I know you won't let me down." Evelyn expressed with a convincing tone of voice, as she saw the 6 young heroes seated around her.

"You can be sure of that, we're gonna stop them all." Phoebe replied, without a trace of doubt in her mind.

"All right people... let's go save the world." Max said, taking his phone from the table, and standing from the chair.

The rest of them did the same, and after gathering in three couples, they walked to the door, ready to leave the office, as Evelyn saw them walking away from her.

 **10:08 AM.**

Soon after, inside of Hero League's main elevator, Max and Phoebe were next to their 4 partners. The two of them were the only ones wearing their super suits for the mission, because all the members of B-Squad were not going to be in the line of fire along with them, unless things got complicated.

Keely and Chester were using very similar clothes, white shirts, blue jeans and light brown coats, but in different shades. Frequently, they used to match their clothing by accident, and sometimes people thought they were twins, but for them, that just meant they really knew each other so much, that they seemed to read their minds.

Simone and Santiago preferred to use darker colors, and this time was no exception. She had a camouflage tank top, black jeans, and a jacket of the same color. In the other hand, Santiago was using a black shirt, dark blue jeans, and a gray jacket.

They got in there just a few seconds ago, but for some reason nobody has said any single word. Keely and Chester were holding hands, even when they always tried to be professional inside of the building. But not Santiago and Simone, because once they got inside, they used the time they had to hug each other and take some selfies together. And with all those reinforced crystal walls, they had an awesome view to Metroburg.

The twins could only see their partners with jealousy, because no matter how much they wanted to do the same, they couldn't. Phoebe saw Keely and Chester with the corner of her eyes, and she was dying to hold Max's hand too. Soon, he was facing the same conflict the moment he saw his partner, lovingly hugging Simone.

They all seemed to be focused on their own business, it's like they tried not to worry about the dangerous mission they were about to go. Now they were in the middle of the building, and Phoebe tried to break that awkward silence:

"Guys, I would've loved to fight with all of you." She told them, feeling bad with the situation.

"Me too, but you already know my mom." Simone replied, a little annoyed for the way they planned everything.

"Yeah, but she already had a plan for months, there was no way we could change it." Phoebe explained to make her see that there was nothing to do about it.

"I know, Santiago told me how the Hero League in México captured some of the last drug traffickers with a plan that was very similar to this, so... maybe that's not a bad idea." Simone commented, looking at him with a serious expression.

They all remembered how things got critical south of the border, some time ago. A bad government caused the organized crime to gain more power, but thanks to some heroes from that nation, things got stabilized again, in a long period of eight years.

"I heard about that in the news, were you there?" Chester asked his partner, after remembering how much they talked about it on T.V.

"Yeah, some of my friends fought against them, including me. Oh, and Max... the telekinetic wounds may hurt like hell, but that's nothing compared with receiving hundreds of high caliber bullets through all your body. " He commented, leaving a serious expression on Max's face.

"I'm happy that things are getting better in your country." Kelly said, with a comprehensive look.

"Yeah well... There's still a lot to be done." He replied, crossing his arms.

Phoebe got surprised with how fast the conversation changed. But that's not what she planned, so she tried to fix things one more time, by quickly changing the subject.

"Hey, I was thinking... What if we go out for dinner together, after the mission? There's a cool place in Hiddenville, it's called Splatburguer. Max and I can go with you after bringing our report to headquarters." Phoebe suggested, taking everyone's attention.

"Sounds good!" Keely and Chester replied, almost at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm in." Simone added, as she looked at Santiago, who nodded right away.

With the plan ready, the twins walked out of the building along with their partners, the moment they arrived at the ground floor. They walked all the way to the parking lot, and once they got there, they took separated ways. Max and Phoebe got inside of the black Pontiac, and the rest of the team got into a red Charger 2020.

 **10:38 AM.**

After driving for 30 minutes on Mile 33, Max and Phoebe were getting close to Volt-N-Save installations, they just needed to go for two and a half miles and they'd be right in front of that dangerous place.

That roar of the V8 engine was getting softer as Max slowed down the car. There was a time where he was out of the way, and proceeded to park the car next to a tree, turning on the emergency lights in the process. That old edification could be seen at the distance, so they had to get hurry.

The weather was as fresh as the previous day, but fortunately their new suits were better at handle low temperatures. There were just a few cars driving by the long road, and the ones they drove around were not even paying attention to them. Suddenly, that classic sound of emergency lights was interrupted by someone's voice:

"You got it?" Max asked her, looking at her eyes.

"Yeah, I got it." Phoebe replied smiling, with the phone in her hands.

There was a full map of Volt-N-Safe on phone screen. Every corner from all the 5 floors were now on the palm of her hand, and as she gave one last look on the screen, her brain was memorizing all the details she could use to get in there. Her photographic memory was a great advantage in situations like this.

"Okay, we'll do it just like we talked; after you park the car, I'll be waiting for ten minutes to get inside. You told me the place is under constant surveillance, so I'll try to be silent." She reviewed the plan with him.

"That's right. Oh and... if you're in danger don't hesitate to attack, they won't Pheebs." Max explained, concluding with a serious warning.

"Got it." She nodded after hearing his answer. Later, she grabbed her blue mask from the glove box, and before putting it on, she turned to him and asked: "Do you have your formula?"

"Yeah, I got it in my jacket, I just hope we don't have to use it." He answered, lowering his gaze. Soon after, he grabbed his jacket and took something from it. "Here... it's a smartwatch, it's just like the one I use. When you inject with the formula, slide your finger on the screen and press the hourglass icon to start the countdown." He explained, showing how to do that with his own watch.

"Slide on the screen and press button, okay." She replied as she put the watch around her left wrist.

During all the time they've been protecting their beloved city from the hands of crime, they've never need to use that kind of stuff, not even Max's weapons, but this was the most dangerous mission they've ever been in, and if they wanted to take down the Villains League, they'll had to success in this battle.

They tried to hide it but they were a little nervous. They got in danger all nights while patrolling the streets of Hiddenville. They fought against robbers with guns, villains with powers, or they were forced to risk their life to save any person from all kinds of danger, but this was so different. There was just one thing that could make them feel better in a situation like this.

"Okay... I think it's time, they must be waiting for you so..." Phoebe told him as she turned to her right to open the car's door. But before she could, something happened.

"Wait..." Max suddenly stopped her by taking her arm.

That's when Phoebe turned to face him, just to find with those lips that she perfectly knew, and they quickly made contact with her. Soon, she found herself in a warm kiss that gave her the chills instantly. They've been so focused on their mission that they haven't realized they were not in their parents' house or the League headquarters anymore, so nobody would be able to stop that kiss.

He cupped her face with both hands, like he didn't want to let her go out of the vehicle, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop kissing her. She slide both of her arms around his neck, and felt that special contact that could make her forget about everything in the world, just to focus on him.

Their breathing was getting heavier with every second, and soon their kiss got way more intense, in the middle of that sea of sensations that struggle their hearts like never before. Right after, they separated their lips and opened their eyes very slowly. The twins could almost see their own reflection in each other's eyes.

"Be careful, babe." He asked her, with a whispering voice.

"You too, honey." She replied, lovely looking at him.

After that special moment, Phoebe put on her mask, and opened the car's door.

The time has come.

 **10:45 AM.**

Some minutes later, Max was driving right in front of the old energy plant. The building was surrounded by a wide parking lot, and four walls with a height of 10 feet around them. There was an automatic arm at the entrance, which got raised the moment he approached with the car.

Nobody would've guessed that just a few minutes ago, there was a person on the passenger seat and now that person wasn't there anymore. Once he entered the property he saw there were some cars in front of the building, so he parked in one of the available spaces. He turned it off, put the keys in his pocket and walked out of the car.

The main door was secured by 4 guards, and there was a moment where he believed the mission would be risked if they tried to register his car, or himself, especially because he was wearing his super suit under the tactical clothes.

He didn't have to get close to them, because when he was about to talk to those guys, the doors began to open, and a person walked out from there. He was Dark Slaughter's right hand, Chameleon. He slowly approached to him, but this time he was not using his ski mask, just the tactical uniform, just like Max's. Any person who saw him, would've thought he was an ex-marine, due to his hair cut and that serious presence of him.

"At last. Come on, it's getting late." He said with annoyed voice.

"Why did you call me? What do I have to do?" Max questioned the moment he saw him.

"Not making questions, you'll be able to make them but not now, just follow me." Chameleon replied with greater authority, as he walked back to the building. Max followed right behind him, until they crossed the doors side by side. The guards secured the doors again, and after that, he and Max walked up the stairs.

 _"Pheebs... Pheebs! Can you hear me?"_ Max tried to establish mental communication with his twin, but for some reason he didn't have an answer. He thought that maybe she would be waiting for the right moment to get out of the car, so he decided to take a look around the place, as he walked up.

The place was a little bit different from the last time he was in there, but that wasn't a reason to stop the surveillance around the building. A couple weeks ago, he tried to find all the information he could get from their computers, files, pictures, whatever. When one of those analysts was distracted, he took advantage and used a preconfigured flashdrive to steal information.

After remembering that day, he began to worry about Phoebe.

 _"Phoebe... Can you hear me?"_ He mentally called her again.

 _"Yeah, I can hear you."_ She suddenly answered, giving him a sigh of relief, just by listening to her voice.

 _"Babe, you okay?"_ He immediately asked.

 _"Yeah I'm fine, I was just trying to find something to distract them."_ Pheobe explained in the middle of the dark, as she grabbed her phone.

Phoebe was forced to hide inside of the car's trunk, that was the only way she could get in the building without being detected. She was in a complete darkness, and the only thing she could see was her phone screen. When she heard Max's voice in her mind, she was trying to locate any object from the outside, anything she could move with her telekinesis, something really hard for Max to achieve, but not for her.

 _"I know you can do it, but be careful, there are 4 guys at the main door and as far as I can tell, they have more of them around the building. All of them armed."_ Max warned, fearing for her safety.

 _"I know honey, don't worry. I'll be ready to fight them."_ She assured to calm him down, cause she was sure she could take them down. _"And... Are you okay? Did they tell you anything?"_ Phoebe asked him right away.

 _"I'm walking next to Chameleon, he hasn't tell me anything but we're walking up the stairs right now, I think Evelyn was right, I'm sure he's gonna take me to his leader, but don't worry, we still have time. Just focus in getting out of the car."_ He stated.

 _"Yeah... wait... I found something."_ She replied with a surprised tone of voice.

Far away from the Pontiac, there were several trash bins settled against a wall, and after moving her hand, out of nowhere, they began to fall one by one, which took the 4 guards by surprise and ran to that place, believing there was an intruder.

Phoebe's smartwatch read 10:52 AM, the 10 minutes has not passed yet but it was the perfect moment to get out of the car, so without thinking twice, she turned on her phone lamp, and used her telekinesis to slide the trunk's lock, and she slowly pushed it with her hands to open it.

When she finally was able to look outside the car, she spotted all the four guards looking at the mess she created. Her idea has actually worked, and all she had to do now was jumping out of the trunk and close it very carefully.

"Okay Pheebs... it's now or never." She whispered to cheer her up.

Looking back at the blueprints she memorized on the road, Phoebe ran to the left of the building and turned around the corner, just to find a lower vent on the wall. When she saw it on her phone, she didn't know anything about the size, but now she was sure that she could perfectly fit to get in the building.

Before trying, she carefully looked from the corner of the building and saw the guys have lifted up the trash bins she used as distraction. The worst part is that two of them were now approaching to her.

"Damn it!" She said in a low voice.

Fortunately, they haven't seen her yet, but she had to be fast to avoid getting busted. Just when she was about to open the vent, she noticed it was reinforecered, so she aimed her right hand to turn all 4 screws with her telekinesis, and remove it with extreme caution.

Suddenly, she began to hear some steps getting close, and she didn't have to wait so long before she could see their shadows too, so she rushed to throw herself through the vent, and luckily was able to put it again just in time, but she had to hold it telekinetically as they walked by that place. When those guys were far enough, she levitated the screws and secured the vent from the other side.

She was finally inside of the building, all she had to do now was to follow the hallways she learned, find the Villains League leader, and take him down along with Max. But it also implied to stop any other person that got in her way. That was her top one priority right now.

 _"Okay Max, I'm in. If I ever find something I'll let you know."_ Phoebe assured as she examined the place.

 _"All right, I'm about to get in the fifth floor, find a way to get there."_ Max replied as he kept walking on the last stairs.

 _"I think I know a shortcut, I'll be there soon."_ She concluded, right before running through a long hallway.

 **10:55 AM.**

In the meantime, Max was on the fifth floor, waiting in the middle of that disturbing place. He was wearing his black ski mask because according to Chameleon, it was a rule he had to follow when entering in that place for the very first time, but he didn't have to follow that rule anymore. They've always kept all the windows closed during the day, and that's why it always looked like it was night inside there.

There was nothing more in that room other than those old machines, and four computers that worked as a surveillance panel linked to all the security cameras. And at the bottom of the room, there were those big windows that lead to the parking lot, and the city of Metroburg.

Next to Max, there were four other persons dressed with the same attire as him. They haven't met him yet, but he was sure they were the ones assigned to attack Hiddenville Galleria.

"All right, after all the tests you've passed, the day has finally come, this is all you've been waiting for. Today you'll have the opportunity to meet our leader, and serve him." Chameleon announced to everybody.

They all remained in silence, side by side, paying attention to his words. Finally, all they've been working for in the last weeks would be rewarded, because every one of them had the promise of receiving something in return, for joining them.

"Now, I give you Dark Slaughter." He concluded as he took a step to his left, revealing a dark silhouette that came from the shadows, some feet behind him.

That mysterious guy was wearing a black robe, tactical boots and gloves of the same color. He was about 6'3" height, and his mere presence would be frightening to anyone who could get to see him, not to mention that disquieting black-grey mask he used to cover up his face, a detail Max found very familiar the moment he saw him appearing.

Suddenly, the green eyes on the mask began to shine, and he talked to them:

"Well, if you're here you'll know what is awaiting you from now on. As far as I know, everyone here had passed all the required tests to be part of this organization. Now all you need to do is the most important thing; let the slaughter begin. I personally choose each one of you because I know what you're capable of." He began to explain to all of them, with that deep voice of him.

As he heard him, Max could not help but think about how suspicious this guy seemed to be. He was sure that if Pheobe or President Kickbutt would get to see him, they would've thought he was Dark Mayhem but that was impossible, because he knew he was still locked in Metroburg's Super Jail, miles away from there. He tried to concentrate again, and kept listening to him.

"This is the time to show what you're made of. Chameleon, tell them what they have to do." He commanded his right hand, turning to face him.

 **10:58 AM.**

Far away from there, in the fourth floor of the building, Phoebe was untiringly running through a hallway that would help her to get the fifth floor. Her idea was getting on the rooftop and enter in the fifth floor from there. She tried to make as little noise as possible, but in two occasions she was forced to use her powers to stop the guys she found on her way.

She left some of them frozen, fought against others, and she even had to use her telekinesis to throw them against the walls and left them unconscious. She couldn't risk to alert the rest of them with shoots or yells, and even if she didn't like to take them down from their backs, this time was totally necessary.

She was going to take a hallway that had a window at the end of it. Out of that window, there were these emergency stairs she could use to get to the rooftop. After she turned around the corner, she suddenly stopped when she saw two guys walking in the same direction as her. Both of them, dressed like the guys from the jewelry.

"Oh shit!" Phoebe exclaimed the moment she saw them in front of her.

It was too late for hiding, because one of them was already pointing his pistol against her. Phoebe raised her left arm very fast, and used her telekinesis to throw his gun against one of the walls, and right after she threw the guy to the bottom of the hallway, and severely smashed him against the wall.

The other guy had the gun in his hands already, but before he could aim it, Phoebe used her heat breath and less than a second, the gun went extremely hot, causing him to drop it instantly, because even with those thick tactical gloves he had, the heat of the gun was melting them on his hands, which made him moaning in pain.

"What? Does it burns? Don't worry, I can fix it." Phoebe said, right before lifting him up telekinetically, and put him against the ceiling. It wasn't long till she blew him with her freeze breath, and left him up there, turned into a cold ice block.

The first guy who attacked her was beginning to stand up, and when Phoebe saw him, she started to walk through the hallway. When she was just a few feet away from him, he suddenly ran and try to punch her in the face but he couldn't, because in less than a second, the girl aimed her right hand and paralyzed him with her telekinesis, right in the middle of the hallway.

He couldn't move any muscle, even if he tried with all his strengths, and in the middle of his desperation, he could only talk to her:

"Fucking bitch! Do you really think you can stop us? We're gonna kill you and your boyfriend!" He said, with great anger.

"Well, I hope you can enjoy your cell with a contusion." Phoebe ironically replied.

Then, she quickly moved her arm to her left, and threw him against the wall, hitting his head in the process. Now the guy was lying on the floor, unconscious.

 **11:00 AM.**

In the other hand, Max has finally heard the plan to attack Hiddenville, which ended up being the same Evelyn told them. There was just 1 hour left for the sinister plan to begin, which kept Max a little bit nervous, because he knew they'd had to act fast if they wanted to stop them all before it was too late.

"And that's what we're gonna do. You'll be in charge of spreading the panic in that place." Chameleon stated, after carefully explaining what they had to do.

He was about to give the order of fulfill their mission, but before he could, Dark Slaughter approached to them very slowly, until he was right in front of his powerful assault team.

"Kneel before Dark Slaughter." He commanded, as he made his mask's green eyes shine even more.

Right after, every one of them including Max, got on their kneels in front of this sinister guy, as a way to show the respect they'll always have to demonstrate. This caused certain conflict in Max, because he wasn't very happy with kneeling before a cruel villain like him, he wouldn't even done it when he was a villain, but now he had to do it, it was vital for the mission.

"You can go now. Make me feel proud but above all, show them no mercy." He stated with coldness in his voice and showing up his fist.

"Yes sir." All of them said at the same time, after tilting their heads for their leader.

Then, they stood up and turn around to go straight to the exit. They walked for some seconds but when they were some feet away from the door, something happened:

"Wait..." Dark Slaughter suddenly said, making all of them stopped in their tracks and turned around very quick. "All four of you are free to go. From now on, you'll be known as the sinister 4. As for you... we're not over yet... Max Thunderman!" He exclaimed with determination as the rest of the team turned to face him.

Max remained just right there for some seconds, his eyes were wide open. He couldn't believe what he just heard. How did he know his true identity? Was they pretended all this time? Thousands of questions began to came across his mind in just a few seconds. He was in shock.

"What?" He asked, not knowing what to say.

"You really thought your stupid plan could actually work? I've always been a step ahead from you, all of this... this right here is just the tip of the iceberg. You can't even imagine what's yet to come. I hope you're prepared to suffer, 'Maxy T'." He warned him, making him walk backwards as he talked to him.

The situation was getting complicated, he was so confused at that moment that he could barely think straight. When he was finally able to back to reality, Max turned to his back and realized his so-called partners were gone, including Chameleon. The mission was in danger.

 _"It's over Phoebe... They know, they know everything!"_ He tried to inform his sister mentally, waiting for her to listen to him.

 _"What? What do you mean?"_ She questioned, with a worried voice.

 _"We're busted Pheebs, the leader knows my name."_ Max replied, in the middle of his desperation.

She was running all the way to the window she had to use, but after hearing Max's bad news in her mind, she stopped in her tracks.

 _"What?! How is that possible?"_ She asked, not believing what she just heard.

 _"I have no idea but it doesn't matter being stealth anymore. I'll try to stop them while you arrive."_ Max informed, as he analyzed the place around him, trying to find something he could use.

 _"Don't worry honey I'm on my way, I'm almost up there. Just give a few seconds."_ Phoebe assured him, as she prepared to go out the building.

Phoebe was right in front of the window, and threw a telekinetic wave to break it completely, now she could access the stairs, so she threw herself through the steps and started to climb them as fast as she could.

In the meantime, Max was taking some distance from Dark Slaughter, since the powerful villain has beginning to walk toward him as they talked. Little by little, Max got close to those windows that lead to the parking lot, and even if he could attack him with his powers, he decided to wait a little bit more and study his opponent.

Soon, he decided it was useless to keep hiding himself, so he took off the ski mask and the tactical jacket to finally show his super suit. He put on his sunglasses. He dropped the jacket on the floor.

"I have no idea how you know my name, but I'm gonna stop you even if it's the last thing I do." Max assured with a confident tone of voice

"Don't wish for dead so quickly Max, everyone who says that dies prematurely, and you have to know the real hell for your treason." The villain said coldly, as he intensified the green shinning from his eyes.

"Treason? What are you talking about?" Max questioned with a confused look.

"I'm talking about the treason you made six years ago, when you turned your back on Dark Mayhem... my father." He replied, revealing his true identity.

With this revelation, Max was even more astonished than before, but he perfectly knew it was no time to have doubts ot over think things, he had to stop him as soon as possible and tell President Kickbutt that the sinister 4 were going on their way to Hiddenville, so he decided to make the first move, by levitating heavy box he found on his right and threw it against him with all his strengths.

With this sudden move, Dark Slaughter just raised his left arm and shot a shinning plasma ball that broke the box in hundreds of pieces, without even getting a single scratch.

"You disappoint me Max, I thought the son of Thunderman and Electress would be smarter than that." He mockingly commented, just to aim his hand to him. "Say your last words, Thunder Turd." He finished as he created a new plasma ball with his left hand, which soon got reflected in Max's eyes.

"Don't underestimate me, asshole." Max replied, right before lifting up his right arm and turn his hand.

In an instant, a nitrogen tank behind Dark Slaughter was telekinetically thrown and hit him on the back of his head, which made him disappear the plasma ball and fall to the ground, in the middle of a dense nitrogen cloud.

It covered the place very quick, but that didn't stop Dark Slaughter because in just a few seconds he began to stand up. Once he did, the glow from his eyes was more intense than before, then he yelled in rage and tried to attack again, but this time, he prepared a plasma ball on both hands.

Max could try to deflect them with his telekinesis, but he wasn't sure of how much energy he would use, and just when Dark Slaughter was about to throw them, all of a sudden, a loud sound came from the ceiling and a wooded part fell down immediately. Then, a girl landed heroically inside of the room, right in the middle of them.

She didn't have to look back, she already knew Max was right behind her, and all she could do was looking at the mysterious man in front of her. She was astonished by what she just saw.

"Be careful Phoebe." Max warned her, and she slowly walked backward, next to her brother..

She got really surprised for seeing a guy that looked like Dark Mayhem, but she remained calmed, even with those dangerous spheres shinning in his hands.

"Thundergirl, I knew you'd show up sooner or later, I just hoped you did it in front of your brother's corpse covered in blood." He told her, trying to provoke her with his threats. "But... I think I prefer to kill the Thundertwins at the same time."

Right after, he aimed his arms to them and shot the plasma balls, sending both of them against the window from the back, breaking it completely as they fell into the void together.

They were falling from a height of 100 feet to a certain death. The cold wind was running through their bodies, and their capes were frenetically waving. It seemed to be their last moment together.

At that very moment, they pointed their hands to each other and little by little they were able to slow down the fall until stopping completely. Now they were floating in mid air, some feet above the ground. Their telekinetic trust fall has saved them, but the battle has not ended yet, because they still had to fight against Dark Slaughter, not to mention his little army.

"There are no guards anymore." Max pointed out, after noticing the parking lot was empty, except for the cars.

"Maybe they got inside to find me, if that's true they must be turned into popsicles by now. By the way, who was that copycat from up there?" Phoebe asked, right after Max put her down with his powers.

"He's Dark Mayhem's son. Must be that guy with the scar." Max answered the moment his foots touched the ground.

"Dark Mayhem had a son?" She asked, astonished.

"Yeah, I was surprised too, and it seems like he wants to kill me for betraying his father." He replied while taking off the glass fragments he had over the whole body.

After the fall, Max and Phoebe seemed to be fine, but Max had the worst part. His super suit had some rips all over the chest and both of his arms, besides, there were some scratches on his face. Phoebe only had some rips across the suit, but she was fine.

"Babe, you okay?" Max asked her, the moment he saw her closely.

"I'm okay? Look at you! Are you okay?" She answered, trying to see how serious his wounds were.

"I'm fine Pheebs, they're just some scratches. We must warn the others and tell them the sinister 4 are going there." He said as he slide his index finger on the screen of his smartwatch, trying to start a video call.

"Looks like they already did, look I got a message from Simone." Phoebe added, showing up her phone.

 _We defeated all the bad guys. 0 wounded civilians, 12 unconscious jerks. None of them had powers._

"He changed the whole plan. He didn't send the sinister 4 to Hiddenville..." Max stated as he cancelled the video call. "Maybe they never left. Hey is it just me or it's hot in here?" Max asked his sister, which made her frown.

"Oh my god! Max... You're bleeding!" She exclaimed while pointing at his lower back. There was a bloodstain on his cape, and after lifting it up, she could see a shard of glass buried in his body. "What are you waiting for?! You gotta use the formula!" She shouted out, visibly worried for him.

He began to search it in his clothes but he couldn't find it. That's when he remembered what he did before they fell, while he was facing Dark Slaughter.

"Damn it! I put it in my jacket and I left it in the last floor." He exclaimed in regret. All he could do was looking at the window they just fell from, wondering how he could've been so negligent.

But before he could notice, Phoebe grabbed her micro-syringe from one of her gloves, removed the top with a finger, and she quickly sticked it on the back of his neck, pressing the plunger all the way down, which caused him some pain, because he didn't expect to feel 6 micro needles through his skin, and he never expected Phoebe would use her own formula on him.

"Phoebe... why did you do that?" He angrily asked right away.

"Because I knew you wouldn't accept it, besides, you need it more than I do. I'll be fine." She stated.

Some seconds later, Max's injuries began to close, leaving just a few traces of blood. Suddenly, the glass that got buried in his lower back, fell to the floor covered in blood, and that serious wound it left behind started to heal in just a few seconds, just like President Kickbut said they would.

"Wow! That's incredible!" Phoebe exclaimed, after seeing how fast the formula worked.

Max didn't like what she just did, if she ever got hurt she would be in real danger without her formula, but there was nothing he could do to fix it, except for getting back to the fifth floor and bring the last formula for his sister.

"Phoebe you shouldn't..." He tried to argue but he didn't finish his sentence, because he perfectly knew that he would've done the same for her. At that moment, all he could do was activating the formula's countdown on his watch.

"Oh... you look so cute together." A girl with long blonde hair sarcastically said, while entering the parking lot. "Are you gonna kiss too?" She suddenly asked, trying to provoke Phoebe.

That girl was not alone, there were three other persons walking next to her. There was a man with long hair that has rip out the sleeves of his jacket, a Latina girl with short black hair and a nose piercing, and finally, an Asiatic bald guy that had tattoos all over his face. All of them were using the same black tactical attire, except for the ski mask they just took off from their heads.

The sinister 4 were walking out from the building side by side, and stopped in the middle of the empty parking spaces, some feet away from the twins. Two men and two women, just like President Kickbutt told them. They were all in their mid-thirties, and it was the first time Max saw their faces.

"What superpower you have? Haircoloring? You're not fooling anyone!" Phoebe shouted out, very annoyed.

After hearing that, the blonde girl faded away her mocking smile and without any warning, she screamed at the top of her lungs, letting out some powerful sonic waves from her mouth that threw both of them several feet away, as they kept hearing that horrible screech all over the place, until the girl stopped using her power.

Max and Phoebe landed on some trash boxes near the parking lot entrance, and after such demonstration of her power, Max had no doubts on who that girl was.

"I think that was Banshee!" Max yelled the moment he was able to take all the debris off of him.

"What?!" Phoebe asked, after seeing his lips were moving but couldn't hear his voice.

"Banshee!" He shouted out again.

 _"Max I can't hear you! All I can hear is a buzzing."_ Phoebe told him inside of his mind.

 _"I don't hear that, I think my ears are healing, it must be the formula. I gotta get the other one Pheebs."_ He assured her, right before running to the building's door.

 _"No Max! Wait!"_ She tried to yell inside of his mind to stop him, but it was useless, he was determined to find it.

After seeing what happened, Banshee tried to use her power to stop him, but just when she was about to scream, Phoebe used her telekinesis to throw her against one of the cars, breaking the driver's window.

When Max was getting close to the building, he saw the rest of the team blocking the door. He didn't want to waste his time fighting them so as he kept running, he threw a telekinetic wave that threw them away from the door, cleaning up his path. However, that didn't stop the other girl from the team, because she quickly stood up and after putting both hands together, she threw a powerful water blast at him.

Max already knew she had that power, cause some days ago he saw a dark haired girl doing the same thing during a fight, so before the water blast could hit him, he used his freeze breath to stop it in the air, and right after that a lot of ice pieces were flying all over the place.

"You really think you can stop me with that?!" She barked with a serious look.

While Max was still trying to stop Aqua, Banshee decided to go after Phoebe, after she got distracted with Max's fight. Then she began walking toward her, eager to kill her first. Her power was dangerous at long distances, but it could be mortal at short distances. She had to be very careful if she wanted to get her, so she tried to go stealth by hiding between all those cars.

Some seconds later, Max intensified his power to freeze the water blast to its source, and once the ice reached for the girl, she got completely frozen, including the attack coming from her hands. After seeing this, Phoebe tried to concentrate because they still had three villains to defeat, so sh looked around the place and suddenly, she saw someone running through a car's window, so she waited to see who that person was.

After defeating the hydrokinetic girl, Max tried to enter the building once again, unfortunately someone grabbed his right arm to turn him around. The person who was holding his arm was the guy with the long they saw before, and after looking down to his hand, he noticed how it started to change its appearance into a shining metal hand, and soon that metal extended up to his arm.

Max tried to free himself several times, but he couldn't, it was like he has been tied with Thundertanium chains. After seeing his failed attempts, the guy finally spoke:

"Leaving so soon?" He questioned, as he applied a powerful pressure on his arm, which made him moan in pain.

Soon after, he heard a cracking noise coming from his arm, and it quickly made him scream at the top of his lungs. He has broke his right arm completely, something this guy they called Steel, loved to do with his victims.

"But we were just starting here." He mockingly said, right before lifting him up by the torso with both of his arms turned into metal, and threw him across the parking lot, far away from the building.

"Max!" Phoebe yelled desperately, as she saw horrorized what he did to her brother.

"You better take care of yourself, little girl!" Banshee surprisingly warned her, after getting up on a car's bonnet, and then she threw another sonic scream at her.

Phoebe managed to dodge from her sonic waves by throwing herself to her right, but she couldn't stop looking at Max, she wanted to run and hug him, but she couldn't. Suddenly, she began to feel a growing rage deep down inside her. She could almost feel the pain Max was feeling at that moment, and after dodging another scream from Banshee, the young hero stopped moving, and looked at that girl directly in the eyes.

Now that Banshee was close enough to her, she made a cold grin and tried to use her power again, but before she could, Phoebe pointed her left hand at her and as she slowly closed her fist, she used her telekinesis to squeeze her throat and prevent the sound from coming out of her vocal cords, which made her put her hands on her neck in her attempts to breathe again.

"You can't scream now, can you?" Phoebe challengely told her, with a serious expression.

In the meantime, Max was still on the ground, trying to recover himself from the pain in his arm, but soon he felt how his bones were putting together by themselves and the pain disappeared completely in just a few seconds. That's when he saw the other two guys coming after him, so he rushed to throw them telekinetically and smashed them against the building's wall.

Banshee couldn't even groan now, because the pressure Phoebe was applying around her neck was beginning to choke her. And even if she saw her coughing, desperately trying to breath, the young hero doesn't seemed like she wanted to let her go, it was like she wanted to punish the sinister 4 through her. But in the middle of her rage attack suddenly, she heard a voice inside of her mind:

 _"Phoebe, let her go... you're gonna kill her."_ Max begged her, trying to make her come to her senses. _"Don't worry about me, my bones are healed, I'm fine."_ He kept saying as he stood up to convince her.

When Phoebe made sure her brother was safe, she reduced the pressure around the blonde's neck, and after looking at her eyes for last time, she just threw the blonde girl to the nearest car she found and broke the whole windscreen with her body. Banshee was out of the fight.

With his wounds completely healed and his bones fused together, Max was ready to fight against the left two villains: Steel and Toxic. After being telekinetically thrown at that wall by Max, their bodies was beginning to hurt, but were not willing to surrender before him, so after standing up they began to walk to him.

"After all you've seen... if I were you I would give up." Max warned them the moment he saw them approaching to him. "Don't wanna listen? Okay... I warned you." He finished speaking, preparing to fight.

As they walked, Steel turned both of his arms into metal with the only goal of breaking every one of his bones. In the other hand, Toxic changed his mind midway and went after Phoebe, who was ready to fight him. She have seen all Z-Force files about his poison powers before, so she already knew what she had to do.

When Steel was close enough, he tried to hit Max several times with those powerful arms, but the hero managed to dodge every one of them, destroying a couple cars in the process. Max already knew that he wouldn't be able to block any of his attacks with his bare hands, so he didn't even try. He thought about throwing a punch or two, but Steel would armor every part of his body before he could hit him.

In the other hand, Toxic has beginning to attack Phoebe by spitting a green viscous substance at her. Fortunately, Phoebe was fast enough to run away from his shots. Jumps, dodges, tumblings, right now all those years of hard combat training at the Z-Force were being so helpful to avoid those mortal spits that melted everything they touched. She'd be lost without her skills.

"Stop moving girl!" He shouted out, getting angrier for not being able to touch her with his toxins.

But in the middle of the fight she had an idea, and as she rushed to dodge his next attack, she ripped off a car's door with her telekinesis and quickly used as a shield. Now she could have some time to make her next move. However, the door started to melt after several shots, and before losing her improvised shield, she used her telekinesis to force him to close his mouth and paralyze his body.

"You're not so tough now." She bickered.

Without being able to move or using his powers freely, she threw what was left from the door and got close to him to give him a punch right in the face, knocking him out instantly.

In the meantime, Max was still avoiding all of Steel's movements, which was beginning to desperate him, because no matter how hard he tried, he haven't broke any of his bones yet, something unacceptable for him. At certain moment, Max noticed his lack of defense so he used that mistake to kick him on the legs, and made him lose his balance.

Steel has never failed that way with any of his enemies, so in his rage, he quickly stood up and when he was about to hit him with all his strengths, Max used his heat breath on one of his arms, and soon it turned into a red-hot metal, making him feel a terrible pain he couldn't even hide, and screamed out loud.

Without even planning it, Max has discovered a weak spot in his power, and he didn't have to wait for so long to see the metal from his arms disappear completely. That's where Max aimed his right hand at him, and before doing what he was thinking, he stopped for a couple seconds.

"I told you." Max provoked him, with a victory smile.

Soon after, he telekinetically threw him against one of those cars and crashed him through the windshield. He didn't moved after that but still, Max walked to him very carefully just to make sure what he already suspected; he was knocked out. The next thing he did was using his freeze breath to put him in a block of ice along with the car, and Phoebe proceeded to do the same with Toxic and Banshee.

They've finally stopped the sinister 4, but the battle has not ended yet. There was a person they still had to fight with; Dark Slaughter. They haven't seen him since he threw them from the fifth floor and that was worrying, because he could be planning something to kill them. Now they knew what he was capable of.

 **11:12 AM.**

Now the place seemed like a desert. No other sound could be heard in the whole parking lot other than the cold wind from the north. It was like no one was there anymore but they knew that wasn't possible. Max and Phoebe gathered again right in front of the building, but they never stop looking around them, because they were still trying to be alert all the time. When they saw no danger, they gave each other a hug like it was the last one.

"Pheebs, are you okay?" H asked after having a closer look of her face, putting both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm a little sore but I'm fine." She replied with a soft smile.

After the battle, Phoebe's ears were back to normal since she has stopped hearing that annoying buzzing from Bashee's sonic waves. She had some scratched around her body but nothing serious. In the other hand, Max didn't have any single scratch thanks to the formula, but his suit had more rips than normal.

Max looked down to his smartwatch and saw the countdown read 4:59, the remaining time of the formula.

"Look, I still have 5 minutes, I gotta get the formula to heal your wounds." Max said showing his watch.

"No Max, they're not that serious, besides, that guy could be up there waiting for you." She refused, trying to protect him.

She perfectly knew that if he ever got hurt by Dark Slaughter, he would be able to heal immediately. She knew that when Steel broke his arm but still, she didn't want them to hurt him, she couldn't bear to see him like that again. So when she saw his persistence, she remembered there was something she could to prevent him from getting back there.

"Hey I almost forgot, I can bring your jacket with my telekinesis." She assured him, as she saw up at the building.

"Do you think you can do that from here?" He incredulously asked.

"Of course I can, they don't call me 'the girl who's really great at telekinesis' for nothing." Phoebe bragged about it, right before lifting up her right arm to there. "Fifth floor you said right?" She asked to confirm.

"Yeah, I took it off before you came down from the roof just like a ninja." He replied as she gave him one of his favorite smiles.

Tracking and moving objects that were out of her sight range was something that took Phoebe years to develope. Max was able to do that too but for some reason, he always had problems to use his powers to that level. And as Phoebe closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, she focused on visualize all the objects inside of the fifth floor. After some seconds, she finally found something.

"Okay, I think I got it. Now... prepare to catch it." Phoebe warned him while moving his jacket to the window.

Max looked up at the building and saw his jacket at the edge of the window they were thrown some minutes later. Without a doubt, her powers were growing up.

"Now!" She exclaimed right before pulling it telekinetically.

That black tactical jacket was falling straight to Max's hands. Soon, he could use that formula on Phoebe to fight against Dark Slaughter together, but when he was about to catch it, all of a sudden, a green shining sphere came to it and exploded in mid-air. There weren't any fragments after the explosion, it just disappeared like that, and so the last healing formula.

The twins were so startled when they saw what just happened, but their expressions changed completely when they looked down and saw a person walking out of the building; it was Dark Slaughter.

"I have to admit, I never thought you could defeat my sinister 4." He confessed, as he walked between the cars.

Soon, he stopped in front of them and looked around him. One by one, he found all of his villains inside of that thick block of ice, defeated. Soon his eyes began to shine violently, and out of nowhere he started hovering several feet from the ground.

After seeing this, the twins back up immediately, cause they knew he was about to do something. Soon after, Dark Slaughter raised both of his arms and created a plasma ball, one in each hand. They looked more dangerous than the previous ones, but instead of throwing them at Max or Phoebe, he aimed his left hand to Steel and shot the first one, exploiting the car in which Max trapped him, killing him in the process.

He shot the second plasma ball at Banshee, who died in the middle of a vehicle explosion too, the one when Phoebe left her unconscious. He quickly made another two plasma balls and threw them against Aqua and Toxic at the same time, and hundreds of frozen pieces of their bodies were flying everywhere.

The twins couldn't believe what they just saw. That cold man has killed his own villains with no mercy, leaving the whole place covered with remains fo their dead bodies and two vehicles covered in fire. Now they were sure about something, this guy was so much dangerous than his father.

"Why did you do that?! They couldn't even defend themselves!" Max shouted out, anger for his actions.

"Because they were useless! I trusted them and they failed me." Dark Slaughter answered, with a deep tone of voice.

"You didn't have to kill them!" Phoebe complained, with serious expression on her face.

"You can blame yourselves, because I didn't send them to kill you. They were just gonna bring you to me, but you signed their death certificate the moment you defeated them. If anyone's gonna kill the Thundertwins, it's gonna be me." He threateningly said, as he created another set of plasma balls with his hands.

Max and Phoebe were ready to fight him, but Max was still regretting for not taking better care of his formula, but there was nothing he could do now, except for stopping the villain they had in front of them.

Finally the fight has started, and Dark Slaugther threw those plasma balls at them. They quickly tried to stop them by building a small telekinetic barrier with both hands, and it worked but he used a lot of energy to create them, and they were thrown several feet away.

They stood up very quick because he didn't stopped, and kept shooting them with electro-plasmatic energy. This time they were too many for them to deflect them with telekinesis, so all they could do at that moment was dodging them as fast as they could.

Now they had no doubt, he was way more powerful than Dark Mayhem.

As they kept running from his shots, Max had an idea to attack him, but he had to make a plan with Phoebe, so he tried to communicate with her:

 _"Phoebe, I got an idea..."_ He said inside of her mind, after dodging a powerful shot.

 _"Cool! And what is that?"_ Phoebe replied, as she kept jumping desperately.

 _"I'll try to hold one of his blasts to throw it back at him. When I have it, you must distract him and I'll throw it when he's off guard. Then you can throw him with your telekinesis as hard as you can."_ He explained what they had to do.

 _"Sounds good, let's try that."_ She agreed, while hiding behind a car.

That was the right moment, so as Max kept dodging his attacks, he began to approach to the left side of the building, making it hard for Dark Slaughter to shot both of them at the same time. But once he threw another plasma ball at him, Max used his telekinesis to hold it right in front of him, but when the villain saw this, he stopped in his tracks for a second, because he knew he was planning something.

Then Phoebe used her telekinesis to smash Dark Slaughter against the building, which made his anger grow even more, so he forgot about Max and focused his attention on her by shooting several plasma balls she had to dodge very quickly. They were so many of her and soon, Phoebe was worried because she didn't think she could do that much longer.

 _"Come on Max he's distracted! Do it now!"_ She desperately shouted out in his mind.

And right after, Max threw his own plasma ball against Dark Slaughter and hit him on the back, which made him fall to the ground immediately, roaring in pain. That's when Phoebe used her telekinesis and threw him inside of the building with all her strengths, breaking the crystal doors completely.

Max looked at his smartwatch and saw the countdown read 0:00, the formula was over.

The twins walked at the entrance together. They went very carefully because they knew that he could atack them again in any moment. They slowly walked through the lobby and as they did, Max noticed there was a couple persons inside of ice blocks sticked to the ceiling. Obviously Phoebe was there.

When they made it to the middle of the room, they saw Dark Slaughter was right behind an old desk, hardly trying to stand up. Max didn't want to risk so he aimed his right hand at him, and slightly turned it to make him turn around on the floor, and lifted him against the wall telekinetically. Later, he forced him to close his hands to prevent him from using his power.

"Surrender, now." Phoebe commanded, sounding authoritative

"I'll never surrender to you." He replied, breathing with certain difficulty.

"Don't even try to use you lasers, I have a little sister that taught me how to stop them." Max warned him as he applied more pressure on his body.

Phoebe was still alert, even if she has defeated all of Dark Slaughter men, because she remembered she didn't freeze some of them and they could wake up at any moment, although it was unlikely.

"You're nothing more than a moron, Max." He said, in his attempts to make him mad.

Then, Max used his left hand to rip off his mask telekinetically and threw it away, revealing the face that Evelyn showed them at the headquarters, that guy with a hideous look, and a scar that covered most of his face.

"A moron who's going to put you in a maximum security cell." Max replied, looking straight to his eyes.

"But hey, try to see the good side, maybe they'll put you next to your father." Phoebe added, trying to make fun of him.

"We always knew you'd be easy to fool Max, since the day I came for you at that alley." He said, as he smiled at him in a mocking way.

"What are you talking about? What?" Max tried to find out since he didn't get what he said.

At that very moment, the powerful villain's face began to move slightly, it was like it he could move his skin at free will. Little by little, his appearance started to change, his eyes, his hair, his facial features, everything. Some seconds later, they finally understood what was happening. They didn't capture Dark Slaughter, the person who was in front of them was his right hand, Chameleon.

"You?" Max asked him, not being able to believe what his eyes were seeing.

"Why do you think they called me that?" He replied.

Suddenly, a gunshot could be heard behind the twins, which echoed around the whole place. Max dropped the guy from his telekinetic grip, and turned around very quick, just to see something that rushed his heart in less than a second.

When he looked at Phoebe, he noticed there was a wound on the left side of her chest, and soon it started to bleed. She slowly looked down at her and when she saw the injury, she looked back at Max with tears in her eyes, not being able to say any single word.

"PHOEBE!" Max yelled horrified, and quickly ran to her.

He was able to catch her before she fell to the floor, and the next thing he did was placing her in his lap, while trying to stop the bleeding that has beginning to cover her super suit. There were tears coming from his eyes, he couldn't believe this was happening.

"Max..." Phoebe tried to say, but he stopped her.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He rushed to say, putting his right hand on the wound to apply pressure.

But as he tried to help his sister, there was a misterious man right behind them. He was standing with the left arm raised, a smoking gun in his hand and a cold smile drawing all over his face. He was the son of the villain they defeated six years ago. The author of this terrible act was no one else but Dark Slaughter.

"Phoebe... you'll be fine just stay with me, please." Max assured her, while starting to sob.

"Max... don't let me go." She replied with a weak voice.

"No... no Phoebe please... stay with me..." He begged repeatedly, right before crying out her name: "Phoebe!"

 **To be continued...**


	6. Requiem for my sister

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

"If we're gonna be together forever, do you think we could have... babies, someday?" Phoebe suddenly asked.

"Honey, nothing would make me happier than starting a family with you." Max assured her, right before caressing her cheek, very carefully.

After the unforgettable Thanksgiving dinner, Max and Phoebe spent all night in the lair, eager to show their love to each other one more time, even when they knew they'd have to tell their secret to all family by the morning. They loved each other so much that they were prepared to face that difficult moment together.

"We have something to tell you..." Max announced, without letting Phoebe's hand go.

But by a quirk of fate they couldn't, because at that very moment they received a transmission from President Kickbutt, who informing that the attack on the Villains League should be done before midday, or something horrible could happen during Black Friday sales in Hiddenville.

"I need both of you to be here in exactly one hour, there are some things you gotta know about the mission" President Kickbutt ordered them.

But the twins didn't know all about Evelyn's plan yet, because while they tried to stop the Villains League, a team of heroes would take care to protect the people from Hiddenville, and before they left she gave the twins something that could be very helpful during the battle.

"Once you inject with this formula, no injury will kill you. It only works for 15 minutes."

When they made it to Volt-N-Save, they took different paths to get in. Phoebe had to sneak into the building and made her way through the hallways. For Max was easier due to his undercover work. Soon he was in front of the leader of the Villains League.

"Kneel before Dark Slaughter." He commanded, as he made his mask's green eyes shine even more.

Later, Max realized that this dangerous villain has already found out who he was and who he worked for. The mission was officially compromised, and before he could fight him with Phoebe by his side, he revealed his true identity; he was Dark Mayhem's son.

"Oh my god! Max... You're bleeding!" Phoebe exclaimed while pointing at his lower back.

Max was injuried after the short fight, and since he lost his formula, Phoebe decided to help him heal by injecting him with her own formula, putting her life in danger. Soon after, they had to fight those 4 villains that were supposed to attack Hiddenville, because Dark Slaughter changed his plan in the last minute, and he only sent his goons.

After a tough fight, Max and Phoebe were able to defeat the sinister 4, but they were not the only ones around, because Dark Slaughter appeared to fight them one more time, determined to avenge his father.

"If anyone's gonna kill the Thundertwins, it's gonna be me." He threateningly said as he created another set of plasma balls with both hands.

They've never fought someone as powerful as him, not even Dark Mayhem, and even when they had problems to hold his dangerous attacks without getting hurt, in the end, they could stop him together by combining their powers.

"Surrender, now." Phoebe commanded, sounding authoritative.

But things didn't go as they expected, because in the blink of an eye the twins realized that the person they captured wasn't really Dark Slaughter but Chameleon, the guy who recruited Max two months ago has managed to trick them with his shape shifting power.

"We always knew you'd be easy to fool Max." Chameleon said, as he smiled at him in a mocking way.

That's how Dark Mayhem's son was able to approach to them from the back, and shot a deadly bullet caliber .45 directly to Phoebe's chest.

"PHOEBE!" Max yelled horrified, and quickly ran to her.

There was no other formula she could use to heal from that wound, and as she started to bleed out, she fell into Max's arms. It seemed like there was nothing he could do to save his soul mate.

Things were about to change forever... in the secret life of the American twins.

"Max... forgive me." She replied with a weak voice.

"No Phoebe please, stay with me... Phoebe!" He begged her repeatedly, right before crying out her name.

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 6: Requiem for my sister.**

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **10:12 AM.****

There was a deep silence inside of the room. All that could be heard was the sound of the soft breathing from a young man that was peacefully sleeping on the bed. It was Max who was sleeping there leaned on his right side, trying to hug a person that wasn't really there.

The blinds were almost closed but still, there was a shining light coming from the outside, indicating the beginning of a new day. It was past 10 in the morning and he didn't look like he wanted to wake up, something that has become so normal for Max in the last few days.

For some reason he has slept a lot lately and he didn't know why. It was a fresh morning so he only had a blanket on him, and as he slightly moved to the left side of the bed, all of a sudden the room's door began to open, without him even noticing.

Soon after, Max started to feel a strange weight moving on the bed. He wasn't sure if he was awake or still dreaming, but he was so tired that he preferred to ignore it and keep sleeping. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice that spoke directly to his ear.

"Morning sunshine..."

Right after hearing this voice, he opened the eyes and turned around immediately, just to find with the most beautiful face he have seen in his whole life. It was Phoebe who was right in front of him, with a beautiful smile that seemed to make the room even brighter.

"Phoebe..." Max said with a happiness expression on his face. He thought he has seen an angel.

"Breakfast's ready, honey. It's your favorite." She replied with a lovely smile.

"Pancakes?" He asked, as he rubbed his eyes.

"And the best orange juice telekinesis can squeeze. Come on, get up sleepyhead." Phoebe said right before leaning over him to give him a sweet kiss on the lips. Then smiled again and as she stood up from the bed, she said: "I'll be waiting for you at the kitchen." And right after, she turned around and got out of the room.

He remained just right there for a little more until he woke up completely, but it didn't take him so long because he always loved that the first thing he saw every morning, was the beautiful face of his beloved one, Phoebe. Some seconds later, he decided to get up from the bed and walk out of the room.

He didn't even have to change his clothes because for some reason, he wanted to get to the kitchen as soon as possible, so he left the room wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

As he walked through the hallway that'd lead him to the living room, he noticed there was an intense light coming from the windows, which made hard for him to look at them directly. He thought he was just half 'sleep so he didn't paid much attention and kept walking to the kitchen.

When he got there, he saw Phoebe was so concentrated with the dishwasher, and just like Thanksgiving morning, Max came up with an idea; doing the same thing, and since he was not using any shoes he silently walked to her, but this time he didn't got distracted with the breakfast.

After having a closer look, he noticed she was just using one of his shirts, because sometimes she liked to use them by the morning, after spending the night together. Phoebe wasn't even aware of his presence yet, and kept washing the plastic bowl she used to make the pancakes. When Max was close enough to her, he knew exactly what to do:

"Good morning beautiful!" He surprisingly exclaimed, as he grabbed her by the waist, which made her jump in the same place.

"Max! You scared me! You love to see me screaming, right?" She yelled out turning around immediately, and complaining about his little mischief with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah well... among other things." He said, trying to provoke her.

"Stop... I screamed just a little bit tonight." She accepted, after remembering what they did together. "Why don't you... sit down honey, let's have breakfast together." She said while pointing at the table, trying to change the topic.

Max walked to one of the edges of the table and seated on the same chair he always used. Phoebe followed him but she didn't sit in front of him, instead of that she seated at his right side.

"They look delicious." Max assured her, after seeing the pancakes on the dishes.

"That's not what Billy and Nora said when I cooked at home." She replied while taking the fork.

Before Chloe was born, Phoebe tried to learn how to cook for the family. She signed up for cooking courses on Hiddenville Galleria, but no matter how hard she tried, it just wasn't her thing. And even when she was about to give up several times, she never stopped practicing. In time, she developed her abilities but the family preferred to avoid her food, everyone but Max.

"They were too young to appreciate your delicious food." Max rushed to say, trying to convince her.

"You're so sweet." Phoebe answered without stopping her smile. "Oh wait..." She said after seeing he took the fork from the table.

Once she added the maple syrup on their breakfast, everything was ready. They always spent that part of the day together, that's why it was so hard for them when they weren't able to see each other all days, just like that time Max had to work undercover on Industrial District. They missed each other so much that all they did was talking on Skype.

But then something crossed around Max's mind, a sudden thought he had after seeing his twin pouring the syrup bottle on both of their pancakes.

"Remember when we went on vacations to Hawaii? When you threw syrup all over my head?" He asked without being able to hold his laugh.

"How could I forget? Your hair was so shinny all week. Besides, it was the day we actually knew he had feelings for each other, but we tried to deny it. God... I was dying to kiss you when you pulled me out of the volcano." Phoebe confessed, looking at him straight to his eyes.

"Me too, and I don't know how could I resist." He replied, putting aside the fork to take her hand on the table. "I never told you this but... I was so scared of failure, I was so afraid my telekinesis wouldn't be strong enough to bring you back." He suddenly confessed, lowering his sight.

"Max, I always knew you could do it. I believe in you, and I always will."

Then, Max looked up to her and found with his sister's dark brown eyes, those eyes that always gave him confidence even in the most difficult times. There was nothing else they could say at that moment because they already knew it, and they didn't have to use their telepathy.

After sharing a smile that seemed to comfort both of them, they looked down and kept eating their breakfast peacefully. Everything seemed to be normal again, but some minutes later, Max realized something:

"It's almost 11, aren't you gonna watch the news on HNN?" He suddenly asked, making Phoebe rise her sight.

"Not today. I prefer to spend all day with a handsome guy with brown hair and cute chocolate eyes." She stated, right before blowing a kiss that made him smile right away.

 **12:33 AM.**

Sometime later, the twins were lying on the living room floor, side by side. Now they'd have all the time in the world because thanks to Evelyn's mission, they had to quit their jobs at Centri-k Cinema two months ago, so they didn't have to go out for work. Now they were on the comfortable carpet, feeling that arm rubbing very slightly. They seemed like they always tried to have a little contact, it was inevitable.

They had their phones in the hands and even if they looked like they were lost in their own world, they were actually sharing a moment together, just like they wanted. The twins were using the same app on their phones, and from time to time they slided their thumb on the screen to scroll through the text they were reading. Sometimes they did it at the same time.

This app was none other than FanFiction, which they just installed to read all those stories that people wrote about them. Most of them involved them sentimentally, and could be easily identified because there was a word that was written in all of them: 'Thundercest'.

They wanted to read them since the night they slept in the lair together. That night Max discovered there was a whole world on the internet that thought they had a forbidden relationship behind the world, and without even knowing, they were right.

They read the ones that seemed more interesting to them, and whenever they found a promising story, they quickly opened it with their phones at the same time, just to read it together.

"Aw, so cute! I loved this ending." Phoebe expressed, after reading the last words.

"Me too. I just hope we can live this someday." Max added, leaving his phone on the floor.

Phoebe looked at his eyes and gave him a sweet smile, right before putting her phone next to his. They looked so happy at that moment, that all they went through during Back Friday, seemed to be a thing of the past now.

Then they slowly turned to be face to face. It was like there was a strange force that kept them attracted all the time, even when they were sleeping and lost contact unconsciously, they always tried to hug over and over. After taking his hand, Phoebe gave a deep sigh before talking to him:

"I love spending time with you but... I think we should be prepared in case we receive a call from the Hero League. There could be an emergency at any moment." She carefully said, trying not to ruin the moment by talking about their responsibilities.

"Maybe we should take some time for us. If something happens, I'm sure Hiddenville Police will take care of it." Max suggested, after hearing what she said.

"So... you don't want go and patrol the city?" She asked him, with confusion on her face.

"No it's not that, it's just..." He tried to say, while running from her gaze.

"Max... I'll be fine. It's not like I'm gonna be murdered by some street robbers." Phoebe commented, in a mocking tone.

That's when Max looked at her straight in the eyes, unable to believe what he just heard. There was a hint of sadness in his look, since he couldn't forget what happened at Volt-N-Save, and the fact that Phoebe was joking about it, was actually worrying him.

"Babe, that's not funny." Max said, as he let her hand go very slowly.

"I'm sorry..." Phoebe apologized after realizing what she just said.

"No... It's okay it's just... I almost lost you there, and I wouldn't be able to forgive me if something happens to you." He assured her, with the most serious expression Phoebe has seen.

"I understand. Look... what if we activate the Z-Force app and if we don't receive any alert in the whole day, we'll stay here." She suggested, while holding his hand with hers once again.

"Okay." He accepted, after taking a moment to think about it.

He gave her a soft smile and raised his head to look at the windows again, but just like the last time, he was forced to half-close the eyes due to that shining light that came from the outside. This took Phoebe's attention:

"What's wrong honey?" She curiously asked.

"Nothing, is this light from the windows. I woke up some hours ago and is just as bright as before. That's weird." Max stated as he rubbed his eyes with both hands.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it." She rushed to say in her attempts to help him.

Then Phoebe closed the eyes and after giving a deep sigh, she raised her left arm in the air and began to close all the blinds from the apartment by using her telekinesis. It only took her a few seconds to close them all, and right after, she turned on some lamps around the living room, leaving just a soft light covering the room.

"Better?" She asked him with a smile on her face.

"Much better." Max replied, smiling back.

"Anything to spoil my boyfriend." She said while taking his hand to intertwine their fingers once again. "So... how about watching some movies now?" She suddenly suggested.

"Sure, what do you wanna see?" Max curiously asked.

"Well, I picked the last story we read so... it's your turn to choose." Phoebe said, as he began to rub her hand with his fingers.

Max started to think about some of the titles they haven't seen yet due to lack of time, and this was the perfect moment to enjoy all of them, together. Suddenly he remembered buying a movie from the last time was in Metroburg. He thought Phoebe would like it.

"I think I have one you may be interested in, I didn't read the synopsis but I think it's about time traveling or something." He concluded, standing up from the floor.

 **02:19 PM**

Later, the twins have already ended with the movie. The T.V. was still on but nothing was being showed there, except for the Blu-ray logo moving through the screen over and over.

There was a couple of dishes and glasses in the middle of the crystal table along with some slides of pepperoni pizza, because they got so hungry during the movie and Max decided to pause it and go to the kitchen to bake one for both of them, which he prepared with his heat breath in just a few minutes.

Now they were leaned on the living room couch, lovingly hugging like in so many times. Phoebe was not wearing his shirt anymore because she got back to the bedroom to get dressed with that comfortable attire she loved to use when they weren't protecting the city; a white tank top and grey shorts.

Her long wavy hair was loose on her left shoulder, and as she firmly held Max's hand, he played with that shiny hair that had a sweet apple scent he really loved to smell. Phoebe had her eyes closed but she wasn't sleeping, she was enjoying by relaxing in his warm lap.

"I think I should start reading the movie synopsis from now on." Max suddenly said, making Phoebe open her eyes after listening to him.

"What? You didn't like 'The time traveler's wife'? I loved the story of Henry and Clare." Phoebe said after turning her head to look him in the eyes.

"Yeah I liked it, it's just... I didn't know it was a girl's movie." Max tried to explain.

"You only say that because there wasn't any scene of Megan Fox or Margot Robbie half naked". She stated with a hint of jealousy.

"Hey, there's only one person I care about watching half naked, and she's here in my arms." He rushed to say, right before kissing behind her ear, which gave her the chills immediately.

"I guess not every guy can say that to their sister." Phoebe expressed as she smiled to her loved one.

Brother, sister, twins... those were some of the words they feared to pronounce when they were alone, and the fact that their friends or family called them twins, was enough to make them feel bad about it.

But things change, and the days where they introduced themselves as siblings in front of strangers, were now in the past. In front of a non-family member they were just a young couple, and now it was completely normal for them to joke about those words in a daily basis.

"I know. I feel so lucky you're here with me Pheebs. I love you so much." Max said as he put her closer to him.

"I love you too, honey." She replied right before resting her head on his chest, deepening his hug.

They stayed hugged like that for some minutes, just to feel that contact between them. There was a deep silence around the place and all they could hear was their own breathing, along with those peaceful heartbeats.

Suddenly Max opened the eyes slowly and after lowring his gaze, he found something that brought him back to this past he was trying to forget; it was the scar on Phoebe's chest, very close to her heart. That was the only mark that cold bullet left during the Black Friday battle. The bullet that almost took the love of his life.

"Does is still hurts?" He seriously asked, while rubbing his thumb on her shoulder.

"Just a little bit." She replied after letting out a deep sigh.

"I can't believe I almost lost you there because of that bastard. I think... I wouldn't be able to live if you weren't survived." Max confessed as he slipped his arm all the way to her waist to hug her again.

"Max don't you ever say that, I'm sure you'd have been able to continue with your life without me. You're really strong, never forget that." Phoebe stated, after placing her hand over his.

He didn't say any single word, he just lowered his sight and kept silent for a few seconds. There were thousands of things running through his mind at that moment but he didn't want her to notice, that's why he tried to change the subject:

"Why don't we just watch another movie? It's your turn to choose the next one." Max said, trying to fake his smile.

"Okay, since we've seen a romantic film, I'll choose an action movie just to match things up." Phoebe answered while standing up from his lap and walk to the shelves to pick up the movie.

After taking the box she was looking for, she turned around to show Max the one she chose.

"'Chronicle'. Good choice." Max admitted right before taking another slide of pizza.

She smiled again.

 **04:03 PM**

Later in the day, the T.V. was just showing the movie credits in the middle of disturbing background music. The twins were right in the middle of the couch, looking at the screen without even paying attention. Phoebe was lovely cuddled in his arms while resting her head on his chest, and Max was trying to hug her even more than before. It's like he didn't want to let her go off his side.

There were no more slides of pizza on the dishes, and the smartphones they left on the crystal table hasn't even rang for hours.

"It's incredible what they did with this movie. They simply took telekinesis to an entire new level." Max said without taking his eyes out of the T.V.

"I know. Every time we get to see it I feel like we still have so much to learn." Phoebe answered as she heard those rhythmic heartbeats coming from his chest.

"Me too, I mean... we already have a good control over our powers but... Do you think we'll ever get to have that kind of control over our telekinesis? Flying at will?" He asked with a serious voice.

"Actually, I do. I'm sure that one day you'll be able to do that." She stated after turning just a little bit to have a better look of him.

"You meant us, right?" He tried to correct her after hearing her answer.

"You're right, us." She replied with a soft smile.

That was the best day they've had in months and it was not over yet. For once they could lay down to watch some movies together without getting worried about the city. It's not that they didn't like to do it, it's just that sometimes they prefer to act like a normal couple.

They were both ready to get dressed and go save people, but for some reason they haven't received any alert from the Z-Force app, nor any single call from President Kickbutt. In time, they convinced themselves that things would get complicated later in the night, so they tried to enjoy all the time they had.

"So... it's my turn to choose, right?" He suddenly asked, making Phoebe move from his lap to let him go and take the next movie they'll see.

"I guess. So what do you have in mind?" Phoebe curiously inquired.

"I'll tell you when I get back from the kitchen, I have a big craving for popcorns." He replied while standing up from the couch.

Phoebe remained on the couch as Max headed to the kitchen. She looked back in more than one occasion just to see him back. She couldn't help it, she was starting to miss him after being away for just a couple minutes. It didn't take that long before she could start hearing that classic popping from the corn kernels inside of the pot.

Some minutes later, Max was back in the living room with a big bowl filled with popcorns in his hands, and placed it on the table. Then he walked to the shelves to take the movie he had in the back of his mind.

"Okay... the popcorns are ready. What's it gonna be?" She asked him after seeing he took one of the boxes.

"Yeah, about that... it's not just one, guess what... It's your favorite trilogy! 'The Conjuring'." Max effusively said, showing the box between his hands.

"Oh my God..." She exclaimed in distress, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Phoebe's eyes got wide open the moment she saw the collector's box containing all 3 Blu-ray from that famous trilogy, the same that gave her nightmares for several nights after going to each one of the premieres.

Seeing horror movies was something Max loved to do, but not Phoebe, because even if she pretended she wasn't scared by ghosts or demons, she was actually dying of fear with every one of these movies, and during the screenings she never let his arm go for a single second. That was one of the reasons that Max always brought her to see that kind of movies.

After placing the first disc inside of the player, Max walked to the couch and got seated next his twin. She grabbed the bowl from the table and cuddled with him once again.

"You're trying to scare me so I can hug you for hours, right?" Phoebe suddenly asked.

"Yeah, but you were gonna do that anyway." He stated while taking the remote from the couch to press the 'play' button and start with the movie.

Soon, the opening credits were being shown on the screen.

"That's true. But now you'll have me hugging you for like... 6 hours. I hope you won't get bored." Phoebe replied, right before taking some popcorn from the bowl.

"That'd be impossible, besides, it was all part of my master plan." Max assured her in a mocking tone, making her smile for his improvised comment.

 **10:23 PM**

After several hours in front of the T.V., the twins have finally ended with the trilogy that has scared Phoebe so many times. The popcorn bowl was empty at one of the edges of the couch, and the screen that has been turned on for more than 6 hours was now turned off, and so the lights around the living room.

Max and Phoebe were now in the kitchen seated at the table, in the same place they had their breakfast some hours ago. Phoebe has served two rations of sushi for both of them. It wasn't really hard for her to make the dinner, not after Keely taught her how to spoil her boyfriend during her trainings, without really knowing who this boyfriend she was taking about was.

Their phones hasn't even ringed a single time in the whole day, and they didn't have any call from the Hero League. However, the twins kept their phones close just in case someone called them, but until that happened they could let themselves have a peaceful dinner.

"Damn I'm starving!" Max exclaimed, taking the chopsticks from the table.

"I know, me too. We haven't eaten for hours." Phoebe replied while pouring two glasses with lemonade.

"Yeah, time flies when you're having fun. By the way... these look delicious." He commented, gaining a flattered look from her.

"Well... let's eat." She added right before taking the first roll with the chopsticks.

During the dinner everything seemed so quiet. Frequently, they could hear some noises coming from the city, like car horns in the middle of traffic, the siren of an ambulance in its way to an emergency, or just a helicopter flying over a near place, but this night things were so quiet.

After spending most of the day with the person he loved the most, Max has completely forgot about that shiny light he saw by the morning. He even forgot about opening the blinds again, because they used to see the lighten up city from those big windows. After all, the view was amazing.

Soon after, the chopsticks were now lying on the empty dishes. They've had one of the most pleasant dinners they could remember, because for some reason, this night was more significant than any other. It was a special night.

"I was eager to taste your new food. I loved it." Max expressed without stopping looking at those dark brown eyes he really loved.

"I'm so glad you liked it!" Phoebe exclaimed, with excitement.

"I can't wait to see what other things you've been preparing for me." He confessed while standing from the chair immediately.

"Sure... I spoil my boyfriend, I didn't kill him with my food... Everything's comin' up Phoebe!" She replied with a funny voice.

Soon after, she grabbed her phone from the table and slided her index on the screen to unlock it, just to confirm what she already knew; there were no alerts.

"Hey... I think you were right, looks like we're not having any calls from the Hero League or the Z-Force so... What do you say if we watch one last movie before going to bed?" She suggested, trying to make the remaining hours of the day count.

"Sure. Whatever you want, just say it." Max accepted as he grabbed his phone.

She didn't even have to think about it, she already knew what would be the last movie they'd see for the night, so after collecting all of the things they used for the dinner, she turned to face him with a smile filled with excitement:

"I think you're gonna love what I have in mind." She assured him with a special shine in her eyes.

"Really? And what is it?" He inquired, crossing his arms as he waited for the answer.

Then Phoebe aimed her arm to the shelves from the living room, and just by moving her fingers a little bit she made fly one of the Blu-ray to her hand telekinetically, then she handed the box to him.

"Hansel and Gretel..." Max said with his classic smirk.

"Witch hunters." She added to finish his sentence. "I'm just gonna wash these things and I'll be there in a minute." She concluded while taking everything from the table to make her way to the dishwasher.

"I'll help you. That way you'll end up faster." He stated, and followed her right after.

 **10:55 PM**

Just a few minutes later, the dishes and glasses they used were clean on the island. Max has always avoided that kind of chores even when they lived in their parents' house, but strangely, this time he decided to help her. Now the twins were at the living room, cuddled up in one of the edges of the couch.

"It was just the two of us. But we learned a couple of things while trapped in that house. One: Never walk into a house made of candy. And two: If you're gonna kill a witch, set her ass on fire." Max said, mimicking one of Hansel's lines from the beginning.

"They should've made a sequel to this movie. I remember we waited for years and they never released it." Phoebe complained when the opening credits began.

"I know, but at least we have the extended cut edition." Max agreed, trying to see the good side.

"You're right. I can't wait to see my favorite scene once again." She added with an exited voice.

That was the tenth time they saw that movie and they were still enjoying it just like the first time. Back in that day, the twins were supposed to meet with their friends at Metroburg's Super Mall, nevertheless they cancelled at the last minute, so when they found in the middle of the place by pure chance, they decided to go watch the movie together.

After leaving the place, they tried to pretend they didn't have a good time seated next to each other for more than one hour and a half, but they actually had one of the moments they've enjoyed the most. They were so proud to admit it back then. It was easier to pretend they couldn't stand each other.

They were too young to actually listen to those feelings, but none of them could deny that cosmic joke, because the universe seemed to have been conspirating to make them find their other half in that big place, without even knowing they were gonna be there. It was like they were being attracted unconsciously.

And now they were there, sharing a moment together as they watched the movie that brought them a lot of memories.

 **12:23 AM**

"Hansel... I fucking hate you." Phoebe said, repeating Gretel's line word by word.

"And you... you look like shit. You know that?" Max replied, making the same thing with Hansel's

"So do you." She stated, making Max smile for her comment. "I have no idea why they deleted this scene. It's my favorite!" Phobe added right away.

It was past midnight and there were just some minutes left for the movie to end. Max was still leaned on the couch with Phoebe wrapped in his arms, peacefully resting her head on his chest while hugging him. He could perfectly smell that sweet scent from her hair, just by moving his head a little bit.

That was the first time they could spend a whole day together in months, ever since they were assigned to protect Hiddenville. And even if Max enjoyed to go on night patrols with her, deep down him was very happy for not receiving any emergency call.

He enjoyed with her company so much, to the point of losing interest on anything else. And that's how in the blink of an eye the last scenes have passed, along with the ending credits, and the movie was finally over. Soon after, Max put the Blu-ray disc back in the box.

It was getting late. Normally they would stay up until the early hours of the morning, but not this time, because Phoebe had other plans.

"Honey... maybe we should go to sleep" She suddenly said.

"Are you sure?" Max questioned after putting the remote on the table.

"Yeah I'm a little tired." She replied with a soft smile.

It wasn't necessary she asked him twice, because at that very moment Max rushed to carry his girlfriend in his arms, and headed to the room, the one that has witnessed the love they felt for each other for so many times. The days where they got blushed by getting dressed with their super suits in the same room, were now in the past.

And as they left the living room, Phoebe closed the eyes and each one of the lights began to turn off as they walked by there. Soon the apartment was completely covered in darkness, except for the light that was now leading them to their love nest.

Once they got in there, Max placed her on her side of the bed very carefully, like he was trying not to hurt her. He walked around the bed while taking off his t-shirt to throw it on the floor, next to the clothes Phoebe used alst night. Her eyes followed him until he left his phone on the night table. Then he got up on the bed with her.

When he was finally at her side, he slipped his arm around her waist, which made Phoebe turn to her right to cuddle with him. She loved to feel his arm lovingly wrapping her, that's why they used to sleep like that all nights. Then she looked for his hand to intertwine their fingers, and once she got what she wanted, she let out a beautiful smile that he wasn't able to see.

Phoebe closed the eyes to use her telekinesis once again an turn off the light outside the room. But the darkness didn't last for longer, because she immediately lighted up a small lamp she had on the night table next to her.

"Why did you turn on that light Pheebs? I don't need it anymore, you're here with me." Max whispered into her ear.

"I know it's just... it's a little dark in here." She replied with a soft voice.

"And Phoebe Thunderman is afraid of the dark since... When?" He asked, trying to annoy her.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, I just want to light up the room for a moment." She explained while tightening his hand.

"Okay, I'll turn it off for you later." He promised right before kissing her neck from behind.

"Thank you babe." She said after getting the chills on her skin with this unexpected kiss.

That's when they slowly closed their eyes as they cuddled even more. Soon there was a deep silence growing in the room, and their own breathings were the only thing that could be heard, at almost the same time. After a few minutes, Max felt an imperious need to express his feelings one more time:

 _"I'd like to stay like this forever."_ He thought while playing with her long wavy hair.

 _"Me too."_ Shereplied inside of his mind, getting closer to him.

At that moment there was nothing that could break that special connection they've developed during all the time they've been living together. It was something nobody else could understand, not even their family. They could've stayed like that forever just like Max wanted, but suddenly something happened:

"Max..." Phoebe called him some seconds later.

"Yeah?" He inquired after hearing the voice of his twin.

He was afraid of hearing what he had in the back of his mind. It was something he didn't want to hear, at least not yet, but he perfectly knew the meaning of this strange feeling he was having.

"It's time." She said with a serious voice.

At that very moment, Max's heart began to beat faster than before. It was like his own world was falling apart all around him. And as he tried to hug Phoebe as hard as he could, he barely found the words he was looking for, but didn't want to pronounce them:

"I know." He said after closing the eyes with resignation, letting out a deep sigh.

The smile on Max's face has disappeared. Suddenly he started to feel a strong pressure in his chest. He already knew what was about to happen. His arms were still around Phoebe, he could feel her warm body against him, and so her soft breathing. Everything seemed to be as it used to be, just like it was before... but things were not what they seemed.

"What if you stay here... forever?" Max tried to convince her, while putting a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Max... I just can't. I have to go." She began to explain but couldn't find the right way to tell him. Then she rolled to him to be face to face. That's when she saw the desperation in his eyes.

"Please. Stay with me." He suddenly begged one more time, taking her hand.

"Honey, we had a deal. One more day?" Phoebe tried to remind him the agreement they had.

That was enough for Max to lower his gaze and slightly rub his forehead against hers. It wasn't necessary for her to read his mind to know what he was thinking, because his eyes have already told her; he didn't want to accept the truth.

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be okay." She tried to comfort him, since she could barely hear his heart pounding.

"But what about our promise? What about our life together?" He suddenly complained, with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't share my life with you, but you must go on. You have to become the greatest hero the world has ever known. I'm sure you're destined for big things, Max." She assured, encouraging him to keep on with his life as she caressed his cheek.

"I can't... I can't do it without you. I need you." He tried to say on the verge of a sobbing.

"Of course you can. I believe in you, and I always will." Phoebe stated, trying to cheer him up during this hard moment of his life.

There were tears running down his cheeks now. He was still in denial, perfectly knowing that he won't be able to see the love of his life again. He could never hold her hand, give her a hug or even sharing a kiss with her. All he could do at that moment, was letting out a deep sigh that almost left him speechless.

"Phoebe..." He cried her name, finally coming to the realization of her fate.

"Max, I'll always be with you... always." She assured him while holding his hand between hers.

"I love you Phoebe." He said, unable to stop looking at her.

"I love you too." She replied right before giving him a sweet smile.

Then Max looked deep into her eyes for the last time. They had that special shine that almost let him see his own reflection on them. Suddenly a tear began to run down one of Phoebe's cheek, until Max stopped it by caressing her face, very carefully.

He lowered his gaze a little bit, just to see those perfect lips that quickly brought some memories back to his mind. He perfectly knew this was the last time he could actually kiss her, so without double thinking, he got close to her and joined their lips in a passionate kiss that seemed to have no ending.

Soon after, their lips were moving simultaneously, like they were trying to make it last forever. Now their hands have started caressing each other's faces, in an attempt to feel that special contact one last time, it was now or never. Nothing else mattered because after that night, things would never be the same.

"I'll always be with you." Phoebe said once she could catch her breath after that unforgettable kiss.

Soon after, they hugged like they did before. It didn't take that long for Max to fall asleep, with Phoebe in his arms. The last thing he remembered feeling was the beat of her heart.

That was their last good bye.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **November 28, 2022, Monday.**  
 **10:12 AM.****

There was a deep silence inside of the room. All that could be heard was the sound of the soft breathing from a young man that was peacefully sleeping on the bed. It was Max who was sleeping there leaned on his right side, trying to hug a person that wasn't really there.

It was past 10 in the morning and he didn't look like he wanted to wake up, something that has become so normal for Max in the last few days, after what happened during Black Friday. He'd rather be sleeping than awake lately, anxiously waiting for going to sleep and try to have a dream about her.

His hand was lying on the place where Phoebe used to sleep. Frequently, she woke up before him to make the breakfast, but yet, her side of the bed have always been warm after waking up. It was like she was still lying there, but now her side of the bed was very cold, and so Max's hand.

That's when he began to wake up slowly rubbing his eyes, and as he did that, he suddenly remembered what happened last night, so he quickly turned his face to his right side, just to find with an empty space. Soon there were tears running through his cheeks, as he sadly looked at Phoebe's pillow.

Suddenly a familiar sound could be heard around the room. It was Max's phone, which was still on the table next to him, right where he left it last night.

He wanted to ignore it but deep down he knew it may be something important, and after a few seconds he finally decided to answer the call, so he stretched out his arm toward the table to take the cell phone, and pressed the green button to accept the call, without even bothering to see who it was.

"Yeah..." He said while taking off the tears from his eyes. "What happen Chloe?" He asked after hearing the voice of his little sister. "Yeah, tell mom and dad I'll be there." He replied once he heard the little girl's answer. Soon after he let out a deep sigh and said: "I'm fine, but thanks... See ya." Then he finished the call.

Max dropped the phone on the bed and grabbed the t-shirt he has left on the floor. After putting on he walked to the room's door, but not before giving one last look on the bed, like he was waiting to see someone there, peacefully sleeping. When he realized what he was doing, he turned around and walked out from there.

The blinds were still closed since the last day, but this time they didn't seemed to be covering that shining light that made him close the eyes. The living room was just like it was last night. There was a bowl with leftover popcorn, two glasses with soda, a big dish with some pieces of cheese and pepperoni, and some Blu-ray boxes stacked up.

Once he left that place, he walked to the kitchen to have a glass of water, and as he walked around he saw the clean dishes that were used last night, and so a dish with some rolls of sushi. Max had a sip of water put the glass on the table, half-empty. His eyes were red and didn't seem to be on the mood for anything, he didn't even planned to be awake so early that day.

But Chloe's call was nothing more than a sad reminder; he still had to get ready for the most difficult day of his life.

 **2:12 PM.**

Some hours later, Max was in front of the mirror knotting a black tie he hasn't used in years. Even after taking a shower his appearance was worst than before. And not because he hasn't slept very well lately, but because he could hardly stop crying the loss of his beloved girl.

It was easier for him to sleep for long periods of time, that was the only was he could actually see her. His look was completely absent, it was like he was in automatic pilot getting ready for the hardest part of this day. Once he has done with his tie, he left the room.

During the next 40 minutes he'd have to drive all the way to Metroburg to find with his family there. Chloe offered herself to pick him up with her powers but Max refused. He prefered to go by his own means because he didn't want people to notice how bad he was.

When he passed by the living room, he took his black suit coat and put it on slowly. Then he walked to the wall where they used to hang both of the keys; the Thundercar's and the Pontiac's. He was tempted to take the Thundercar keys but in the end, he decided to drive the old car he used during his undercover mission, even if it brought bad memories to him. He would never drive the blue Mustang again, not without her.

With the keys in his hand, he got out of the apartment and walked to the elevators, but not before sliding his thumb on the screen of his smartwach to secure the door. When the elevator arrived, he gave a deep sigh and got inside.

 **4:05 PM.**

He couldn't stop thinking about Phoebe during the whole trip. Every time he tried to concentrate on the road he kept remembering all the moments they've lived together, and his eyes went wet over and over. He frequently looked at the seat next to him, even knowing he wouldn't find anyone there.

Max gathered with his family as soon as he arrived at the memorial service. Friends and family members they haven't seen in years were there too.

It was an open-casket service, so every person in the church had the chance to go and see Phoebe for the last time. There was a picture of her right in the middle of the altar, with that smile that always lighted up every place she ever went. Everyone was so sad during the first hour, especially when the Thunderman family walked to her coffin one by one. Max was the first one.

After the ceremony, everyone has gathered at Metroburg's Graveyard. It was a fresh day with some dark clouds running through the sky. The cold wind forced some of them to wear long coats with them. It was a hard day.

Barb was heart-broken when the priest began with the last prayers. Hank was trying to give her comfort by hugging her, but he shared the pain too. Uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, everyone was suffering Phoebe's death.

President President Kickbutt and B-Squad were standing behind the family due to the honors the Hero League used to give to fallen heroes, even Dr. Colosso was next to them, showing his respect. Aunt Mandy and cousin Blobbin were close to Billy and Nora trying to comfort them, and Chloe was holding Max's hand as she cried in silence.

"He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Phoebe Monica Rachel Thunderman... rest in peace." The priest recited in front of Phoebe's casket.

Max shed a tear the moment he heard the last part. He was broken in the inside but yet, he was trying not to cry in front of the people. Unlike several members of his family, he wasn't using black glasses to cover up the pain on his face, and he thought Phoebe wouldn't like to see him like that.

Among the crowd, there was a blonde girl that was still crying without stopping. She was her best friend Cherry, the first person she met when they moved to Hiddenville was uncontrollably crying on Oyster's shoulder, just when they started to prepare the coffin.

There was a Hero League flag over Phoebe's casket, and after giving the proper honors, it was given to Hank Thunderman by Super President Kickbutt. It was one of the most honorable ways to show their gratitude toward the family of a dedicated hero like her, even if she was a very young member of the League.

And as the casket was being lowered into the grave, some cries and sobs could be heard around the place. Max's heart was beating harder than before. He could barely hold his tears after seeing this. This situation my be hard to bare for some people, that's why some of them began to leave. Soon, the only people left were just the family and some of their closer friends.

When the mechanism has stopped lowering his sister's casket, Max got close to it and knelt before the grave. He picked up a handful of soil, and the next thing he did was sprinkling it into the grave, very carefully.

"Good bye Phoebe." He whispered, with the heart broken.

 **To be continued...**


	7. Aftermath

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

"Morning sunshine..."

"Phoebe..." Max said with a happiness expression on his face.

Sometime after the events that took place during Black Friday, the twins were finally back in Delta Tower's apartment. That bullet injury Phoebe suffered in her chest, didn't seem to be that serious anymore, and now she was ready to go out and protect the city along with Max. However, he wasn't so sure about it.

"We should be prepared in case we receive a call." Phoebe said, trying not to ruin the moment.

"Maybe we should take some time for us." Max suggested, after hearing what she said.

He was trying to hide it but he was actually fearing for her safety. He didn't want to imagine what he'd do if something happened with her during one of their night patrols. But no matter how hard he tried to hide his fears, he couldn't do it, not in front of someone who was able to tell when he was trying to hide something, just by look him in the eyes.

"I wouldn't be able to live if you weren't survived." Max confessed as he slipped his arm all the way to her waist to hug her again.

"I'm sure you'd have been able to continue with your life without me. You're really strong, never forget that." Phoebe stated, after placing her hand over his.

For some reason, they didn't receive any call from the Hero League that day, or any alerts from the Z-Force app. They had nothing else to do and decided to spend the day watching movies together. They haven't had a day like that in a very long time. Just for one moment, all of their responsibilities could just wait.

But nothing lasts forever, because once that special day was over, it was time to get back to reality, one that Max was desperately trying to escape from, but he didn't have a choice.

"Max... It's time." She said with a serious voice.

"Please, stay with me." He suddenly begged, taking her hand.

He would have to accept that things would never be the same. Soon or later he'd have to realize that the love of his life was gone forever, and there was nothing he could do to change it. He wasn't ready to let her go and that's why Phoebe has returned for one more day, to help him accept the truth.

"Max, I'll always be with you... always." She assured him while holding his hand between hers.

They were ready to fight against everything that came to them just to be accepted by the world, but they weren't counting with this cruel twist of destiny. However, nobody would be able to take their love away from them, not even the sinister hand that took Thundergirl's life.

"I love you Phoebe." He said, unable to stop looking at her.

"I love you too." She replied right before giving him a sweet smile.

But the most painful moment of his life was yet to come; Phoebe's funeral. All of their friends and family have gathered on this tragic day just to give one last good bye to the girl that has shared a lot of happy moments with them. Without a doubt, it was a day that any of them would be able to forget, especially Max.

"Phoebe Monica Rachel Thunderman... rest in peace." The priest recited in front of Phoebe's casket.

"Good bye Phoebe." Max whispered, with the heart broken.

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 7: Aftermath.**

 **Delta Tower, Hidenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **February 28, 2023, Monday**  
 **10:12 AM.****

Three months after the funeral, things have changed a lot for the Thunderman family. The rest of the year was a very hard time for them because they had to spend their first Christmas without Phoebe. The first of many.

During that time, everyone tried to endure the loss in their own way. Billy and Nora decided to postpone their studies to join the Hero League temporary, at least until they capture Dark Slaughter, but first they'd had to go through a strict combat training.

After two decades of retirement, Hank and Barb took their capes one more time and dedicated a big amount of time to work along with President Kickbutt, even if she earned their contempt for what happened three months ago. In time, they realized that they should work together if they wanted to capture the villain who killed their daughter.

Since they spent most of the day in the headquarters, they thought it would be more convenient for Chloe if she stayed in aunt Mandy's house, because they didn't want her to be alone in the house during their long absences, and much less to get her involved in the mission.

Max got the worst part in all of this, because he hasn't seen his family since the funeral day. He didn't showed up in the Christmas dinner at their parent's house, no matter how many times Chloe insisted to convince him, he never accepted. Eventually, they could only talk to him by phone, because he never deactivated the anti-teleport system.

It was weird when Max left the apartment, he only did that one or two times per week when he needed to buy some food or anything else, but he rather to stay there. The last thing he wanted was to cross his path with some relative on the street, and feel forced to fake a smile he didn't want to show.

At first, Barb thought he just needed more time because being twins, she considered it must be so hard for him to accept Phoebe's death, unlike his other siblings, so she decided to give him all the time he needed, and receive him with open arms once he was ready. Even President Kickbutt gave him an indefinite leave until he was able to protect Hiddenville again.

But as the time passed, Hank started to get worried. His silence and distance made him realize he didn't know how to approach his own son, or having a simple talk with him. He never felt they had a good father & son relationship, and the few happy memories he had was from their childhood, when he tried to help Max and Phoebe to control their powers in their old backyard.

Nobody would be able to know that Max spent most of his days inside that room alone with his thoughts, leaned on the bed they have shared for more than a year. The same bed that has been a witness of the excessive love they felt for each other.

At night when he went to sleep, he always caressed the place where Phoebe used to sleep, then he firmly hugged her pillow and cried for several hours until falling asleep. He lived in the hope of waking up one day and see his beloved girl peacefully sleeping next to him. But his cruel reality returned every time he woke up on that bed, alone.

At first, he tried to sleep for long periods of time, because that was the only way he could actually see Phoebe, but he has barely dreamed of her lately.

He looked so scruffy lately. His hair was larger than normal, and during all those months he hasn't shaved his beard, not even a single time. He looked like another person, and all of the clothes he wore were the same clothes he used for sleeping, and even if he tried to keep his mind occupied with other things, he preferred to stay in the room trying to sleep, taking long showers on the nights, or just leaning on a couch for hours.

When he wasn't sleeping, he spent hours with the phone in his hands, scrolling through all of the pictures Phoebe posted on her Chirper account, just to end with the eyes red every time he reached the latest posts.

But there was something that kept happening during last night's; a nightmare where he saw the death of his twin. He felt it so real to the point of waking up in the middle of the night, crying uncontrollably, and repeating her name over and over again.

And there he was, rolling on the bed from one side to another, as he relived that tragedy:

 **Volt-N-Save, near Metroburg city limits.** **  
 **November 25, 2022, Friday.**  
 **11:22 AM.****

"PHOEBE!" Max yelled horrified, and quickly ran to her.

He was able to catch her before she fell to the floor, and the next thing he did was placing her in his lap, while trying to stop the bleeding that has beginning to cover her super suit. There were tears coming from his eyes, he couldn't believe this was happening.

"Max..." Phoebe tried to say, but he stopped her.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He rushed to say, putting his right hand on the wound to apply pressure.

But as he tried to help his sister, there was a mysterious man right behind them. He was standing with the left arm raised, a smoking gun in his hand and a cold smile drawing all over his face. He was the son of the villain they defeated six years ago. The author of this terrible act was no one else but Dark Slaughter.

"Phoebe... you'll be fine just stay with me, please." Max assured her, while starting to sob.

"Max... don't let me go." She replied with a weak voice.

"No... No Phoebe please... stay with me..." He begged repeatedly, right before crying out her name: "Phoebe!"

"Max... its okay." She said without stopping looking at him straight to his eyes.

"Phoebe stop talking please! I'm calling for help right now, just hold on!" He asked her, right before and taking his phone out of the pocket as fast as he could.

"Yeah? It's Max Thunderman, Id Number 2584. I need you to send an emergency helicopter to Mile 33, at the old energy plant Volt-N-Safe!" Max began to explain the situation, making a great effort to keep on with his voice. "23 years old woman, gunshot injury to the chest... Phoebe Thunderman. Yeah I'm pressing the wound but she won't stop bleeding!" He exclaimed after following the instructions he heard on the phone.

But regardless of his help, Phoebe was still losing a lot of blood. His hands were starting to get soak more and more in his attempts to stop it, and a strange feeling came to him when the girl at the other side of the line informed that the rescue team would arrive in 8 minutes.

"Hurry up please, it's an emergency!" He yelled in a panicked voice, and hung up the phone. He put it back in his pocket to keep helping Phoebe while the helicopter arrived. "Don't worry Pheebs, they're on their way." He informed right after, trying not to worry her.

"Max... I'm sorry." Phoebe suddenly apologized. "I'm sorry... I couldn't share my life... with you," She barely said after taking his hand, the one that was still trying to stop the bleeding on her chest.

All of a sudden, Max felt like his strengths were running away from him, he couldn't believe what he was listening. Phoebe Thunderman, the first protector of Hiddenville seemed to be giving up. An unknown fear was beginning to take over him. He never saw her that fragile before, not even that time when she fainted at the Royal Key.

"Stop saying that, you'll be fine just... hold on a little more, please." Max begged, with tears in the eyes.

Don't worry honey... just get closer." She asked him with the best smile she could give.

Then he firmly wrapped her using his left arm, that way she could place her head on his chest. Max was still able to feel the weak beating of her heart pounding against his right hand. Soon he convinced himself that as long as he could feel them, she could still be saved.

"I'm so sorry, if you hadn't given me your formula, none of this..." Max began to regret after remembering his negligence during the battle, but then she interrupted:

"It's not your fault... it was my decision... and I'd do it again." Phoebe assured to comfort him. She didn't want him to feel guilty for all of this.

"Phoebe please, I need you." He desperately begged.

"Honey don't cry... everything's gonna be... okay." She replied, making a great effort to speak.

There was a tear running through his cheek the moment he heard what she said. He couldn't bear she was the one saying that, and less in the situation she was. He thought he deserved to be on her place, he thought he should be one who was bleeding on the ground.

It didn't take much time to hear his thoughts telepathically, and tried to communicate with him immediately:

 _"Honey, I don't want you to feel responsible for this."_ She explained him, firmly holding his hand.

"How can say that Phoeebs? I can't, I..." Max tried to say, but he was interrupted once again, after hearing Phoebe's voice in his mind.

 _"Listen to me, no matter what happens today, never forget this..."_ She seriously told him.

"What?" He asked, while looking straight to her eyes.

"I love you... And I'll always love you." She concluded, making his heart had a sudden pounding.

"I love you too Pheebs." Max responded, sobbing uncontrollably

His right hand was now covered in blood, which has spread beyond the "T" from her dark blue suit. There was nothing he cared more than saving her life, that's why he kept pressing the wound with his hand, but as the time passed, he noticed how her strengths were vanishing.

The heartbeats he has been feeling against in his hand were getting more and more weak, and the hand she placed over his was not holding him as strong as before. What he feared the most was about to happen, and the worst part is that he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Suddenly, he heard a soft voice calling for him inside of his mind:

 _"Max..."_

He knew what was coming, he could feel it deep down him. Nothing else mattered now, there were only the two of them at that very moment, and so without further, he got close to her face and kissed her sweetly. Now the tears she has been holding were running down her cheeks, but Max didn't back off, he just deepened the kiss.

It was just like they remembered. Their lips were perfectly joined as though they were designed for each other. They both knew this was their last moment together, and no one could take it away from them.

But then, the dark silhouette that was still looking at the scene from a considerable distance, started to walk to them very slowly. Max was not aware of this because in his mind, there was only space for the girl he was holding in his arms. That was the reason he couldn't be prepared for what was about to happen.

The guy with the black robe extended his right arm with the power-zipping orb in the hand, and aimed at Phoebe. In an instant a luminous purple lighting began coming out of her body and got back to the orb. Soon Max was forced to open the eyes due to that flashing.

He immediately stopped the kiss but it was too late, Dark Slaughter has taken Phoebe's powers.

"¡No!" Max cried out after seeing what he just did.

He was about to go after him but suddenly felt Phoebe's hand letting him go slowly. He looked at her face one more time and the next thing he saw would haunt him for the rest of his life. There was blood coming out of her mouth. It was finally happening.

"Phoebe... ¡PHOEBE!" With tears running down his face, Max kept repeating her name over and over, as the young hero girl closed the eyes very slowly.

Now those heartbeats seemed to be stopping, but at that very moment he tried to use his telepathy to read her mind for the last time.

 _"I love you."_ She was able to tell him, right before her heart stopped completely.

After that he couldn't hear anything else. Phoebe was gone.

He desperately yelled out as he hugged her inert body with all his strengths. He couldn't believe that the women of his life, the one he wanted to marry and starting a family with, was now dead in his arms. His entire world was falling apart right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do.

But as he kept crying out the death of his twin, Dark Slaughter was still looking at the cruel scene very proud. He could barely blink. His plan has worked perfectly, and having the opportunity of seeing Max all broken, was just another incentive for him.

Some seconds later, Max was finally able to control his cry. He carefully placed Phoebe's body on the floor, just like all those times she fell asleep in his lap and he carefully carried her back to the bed.

He was kneeled before her body. His breathing was starting to sound very heavy. He was so angry that he almost forgot that the person who was responsible for this was still there, right behind him. So as he stood up, he slowly turned around and found his sister's murder several feet away from him.

He saw Dark Slaughter was already using the orb that took Phoebe's powers, and that same lighting was going to his chest. He just got all of her powers, making him more powerful than before. Max didn't know what to do.

"Well, well... looks like there are certain secrets in the Thunderman family. I wonder if your parents know about this. Well... I guess it doesn't matter anymore." The villain said, trying to provoke him.

After hearing that, a dark feeling was running through his veins. He never felt that way before. There was a strange expression on his face that could only be described as rage. He wanted to kill him, he wanted to make him suffer for killing the person he loved the most in the whole world, so he quickly aimed his right hand at him and threw a telekinetic wave while shouting out:

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

But Dark Slaughter was fast enough, and right before receiving this powerful attack, he aimed his hand at Max and activated the orb one more time, and as he was being telekinetically thrown in the air, Max was being struck by that purple lighting, and then returned straight to the orb, stripping him of his powers.

Max tried to use his telekinesis again but it was useless, his powers were now in the orb. Dark Slaughter remained floating in the air for some seconds before landing on the ground by himself. At first, Max thought he would go after him but he didn't, he just extended his arm and showed him the orb.

"I finally got your sister's powers, something my father could never achieve. I suppose his only mistake was trusting on the son of a super hero. Now... You can say good bye to your powers." He said while levitating the orb from his hand.

Then he blew to use his recent acquired power; heat breath, and in just a few seconds the orb began to get red-hot, and soon after, it turned into a fist of ashes he let fall on the floor. The hope of getting his powers back has banished right in front of him.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to give them a good use." He stated, with a serious tone of voice.

After hearing that, he felt the anger growing within him again, and without thinking about the consequences, he ran all the way to him, but just when he was about one yard away, the villain extended his left arm to use his telekinesis, and violently threw him against the wall behind him, completely destroying the reception desk in the process.

Max couldn't hide the pain he felt the moment his back hit the wall, because he painfully moaned when he fell to the ground. He could barely move after such a powerful impact, and all the villain could do was letting out a cruel laugh when he saw him there, suffering.

"I believe I already proved you're no match for my strength. I'm not interested in killing you anymore, Max Thunderman. Thanks to you and your sister, I have become much more powerful." Dark Slaughter effusively said, right before turning his back on him. "I imagine you're gonna want your revenge so... I'll be waiting for you. It'll be a pleasure for me to send you straight to hell... with your sister." He concluded, as he walked to the building's exit.

The young super hero started to crawl across the floor, in his attempts to go after him. He wanted to keep fighting, avenge his sister's death, but he was so sore for that, and all he could do was approaching to Phoebe's body. He looked at the entrance and saw the villain walking out of the building, then he flew off from the place, escaping in front of his eyes.

He kept crawling until getting close enough to her. He tried to hold her hand but he was so weak to even move a finger. All of a sudden, he saw something that gave him the strengths he needed. There was a silver bracelet around Phoebe's wrist. It was the same bracelet he gave her some years ago, so after making a huge effort, he was able to move just a little bit and finally hold her hand.

That was the last thing he did before fainting.

 **Delta Tower, Hidenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **February 28, 2023, Thursday.**  
 **10:21 AM.****

Then he woke up very startled just like so many times, with his eyes watering. He couldn't stop regretting for not being able to save his twin. The room was a little dark due to the closed blinds. He hasn't opened them since the funeral because every time he saw the light of a new day, he remembered all those moments he spent with her.

He remembered how Phoebe used to sneak out of the bed to prevent him from waking up. He remembered those delicious pancakes she loved to make for him, which he would never taste again. But above all, he remembered all the times they woke up at the same time, just to cuddle up for hours.

Sometimes he tried to avoid all those things that could bring some memories but it was impossible, because there was not a single space in the entire apartment where they haven't shared at least one moment together. Some other times, all he wanted to do was torturing himself by looking at her pictures in his phone.

Some days after the funeral, when he got really depressed, he used to wrap one of her favorite scarf around his neck, because that was the only way he could actually feel that sweet scent of her. It was like she never left.

It took him a couple weeks to get out of the apartment. He just wasn't in the mood for anything else. The unopened messages were starting to stack up in his phone, and so the missed calls, because he not only ignored his parents and siblings, he did the same with President Kickbutt.

After drying his eyes, he leaned and hugged Phoebe's pillow again. It was one of those days where all he wanted to do was sleeping for hours and hours, and he would've done it, but suddenly his phone started to vibrate on the night table. He didn't even bother to answer it, he already knew who was calling. He just closed the eyes and tried to forget about everything.

There was a missed call from Barb in the phone screen.

 **Hero League Headquarters, Metroburg.** **  
 **10:24 AM.****

Something was happening on the last floor of the Hero League, in President Kickbutt's office. Evelyn was in the conference room with the Thundermans, or at least four of them. She wanted to talk with the family about the mission progress, because three months later, they were still looking for Dark Slaughter.

Everything was ready to start with the reunion, but something happened:

"I'm sorry... he's not answering." Barb announced with a nervous voice, while opening the door.

"It's okay Barbara, take a sit. Let's start with the reunion." President Kickbutt said, standing up from her chair.

Hank and Barb were seated on one side of the crystal table. Billy and Nora were in front of them, next to each other. Evelyn walked to the middle of the room with a small remote in the hand, and once she turned the lights off, she activated a holographic map of Hiddenville and Metroburg.

"Okay first of all, thank you for coming here so fast. Unfortunately there have been few advances in the last month, but don't worry, one of our best agents from Intelligence division is coming here. I'm sure she can help us to find this asshole faster." She assured with determination.

"You don't have to wait anymore, I can bring her even faster, just tell me where she is." Billy said, putting both of his arms on the table.

"She's taking a flight right now Billy, but you can get her at the airport in one hour." She said while getting close to the table.

They were all using their super suits as the protocol stated. It wasn't too hard for Evelyn to notice they were still dealing with Phoebe's loss. She could tell by just looking at their faces. She hasn't seen a smile since they started to work together two months ago.

"Also... You may wannna know that I've received calls from every Hero League director in this continent, promising to hunt down this villain as if he'd killed one of their own. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, etc."

"We appreciate their support but... this is our fight." Hank stated with a serious expression.

"I don't know dad, if this guy has all of Phoebe's powers, we're gonna need all the help we can get." Nora said, making everyone look at her.

"I agree with you Nora, but don't worry, we already have two of their best super heroes on our side: Abigail Ashford from Canada, and Santiago Hernández, from Mexico." Evelyn explained.

"I'm sure they'll be ready to help us if the situation requires it. Anyway, my research team has been tracking any abandoned place from Hiddenville to Metroburg, but Billy and Nora haven't found anything in those places. One week ago Simone suggested me to take a look in Swellview, she thought it would be the perfect place to hide, since their heroes died two years ago but... we found nothing."

Hank seemed to get desperate due to the lack of information they had. There was a time where he was so mad that all he wanted to do was taking down every door in the city, just to find the guy who killed his baby.

"So we got nothing. The research team has been fishing in the dark, and the only clue Barb and I followed, lead us to a death-end." He exclaimed very angry.

"Hank, I called you because Keely and Chester; two of our newest heroes, located one of their trucks abandoned in the middle of an alley, in Baltimore. Once agent Ashford arrives, I'll send her with Billy and Nora so they can make a deep searching together. Her technopath powers will be very handy."

"Ashford? The girl who tracked Dark Slaughter the first time?" Nora questioned after hearing her last name again.

"That's right, she also attended Hero University along with your siblings. She's arriving soon. In the meantime... tell me, does Max know anything about this?" She suddenly asked them.

"No. We've been trying to talk to him, without success." Barb confessed, lowering her gaze.

"Actually Barb and I already talked about this, and we believe it's better for him if we don't involve him. He's not ready yet." Hank stated while sharing a serious look with his wife.

"Are you sure about this?" Evelyn asked with a confused look.

"Yes." Hank and Barb nodded at the same time.

"All right, he's not getting involved in this mission." She concluded with an authoritative tone of voice.

 **Industrial District, Hiddenville's Slums.** **  
 **March 14, 2023, Thursday.**  
 **11:43 PM.****

There was a deep silence around the city. All that could be heard was the sound of some police cars at the distance. It was almost midnight so it was really hard to see any cars on the streets, which was perfectly normal considering how dangerous that neighborhood was, not to mention the recent criminal activity in Hiddenville, because without the twins protecting the city, the rates did nothing more than increasing.

Near the limits of that neighborhood there was a Twenty4Seven store, right on the corner of the main avenue. There was just a gray vehicle parked outside of the place. All of a sudden an alarm began to rang, and two guys were running out of there very quickly.

They didn't have problems to rob that store, because there only one person at the cash register, so it only took them two minutes to put all the money inside of two plastic bags they were carrying in their hands right now. They were wearing jeans, black jackets and ski masks of the same color, a common denominator in this kind of robberies.

But in the middle of that repetitive alarm sound, one of them got back in the store pulling out a pistol from the back of his waist, and he quickly threatened the checker for turning on the alarm. The poor man slowly walked backwards after seeing that shiny gun pointing at him. He was fearing for his life. The criminal didn't want to leave loose ends behind.

"What the hell are you doing?! We gotta get out of here!" His partner yelled him from the outside. He didn't want to get risk to be arrested by the police.

"Shut up! We have to kill this bastard before..." He tried to respond with authority but he couldn't end his sentence, because at that very moment a strange noise made him turn around very quickly.

That's when he saw his partner laying on the floor, with arcs of electricity all around his body, and writhing in pain. In just a few seconds he stopped moving, he was completely out of combat. When the other robber raised his sight, he spotted a man at the store's entrance.

He was using a dark shade suit that seemed to be covered by some kind of armor plating, but strangely, didn't seem to be heavy. His face was only covered by a pair of sunglasses, and the awkward gun he used to take down his partner, was now in a tactical sheath around his thigh.

The word 'vigilante' was crossing his mind, so when he started to walk to him, all he could do was aiming his gun and shot him in the chest repeatedly, but the guy didn't stopped, and the bullets were simply bouncing to the floor, one by one. Without a doubt, that metal was more resistant than it seemed to be.

At this point, the robber has completely forgot about his partner and the checker he tried to kill, and all he wanted to do was running out from there with both money bags in the hands, but this strange was stopping him, that's why he kept shooting his gun until the magazine was empty. Then he dropped the gun and grabbed a knife from his pocket.

"You're fucking death!" He threatened him while unfolding the sharp blade.

However things didn't go that well, because once the knife was ready, the man was right in front of him, so he quickly grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it until a loud cracking sound was heard, making him drop the knife and screaming out loud.

Once disarmed, he threw him across the room and smashed him against one of the walls, breaking several things in the process. Since he only used an arm to throw him from a considerable distance, he must have some kind of super human strength, so there was nothing the robber could do to fight back. However that didn't stop his attacker, because soon after, he was walking to him.

There was no escape for him, so he grabbed him by the jacket and punched him in the face, leaving some blood splashes on the floor.

"Where is Dark Slaughter?!" He asked him with a deep voice, violently shacking him.

"What?" The robber responded, making a big effort to speak.

"Your leader! Where is him?!" He demanded an answer, hitting him again.

"I don't know what you're talking about... We work alone." He replied, in the verge of losing consciousness.

"You better..." The mysterious man tried to say, but suddenly something put him on alert.

Then he heard some sirens getting close to the place, so he punched him again and knocked him down instantly. He stood up, grabbed the bags with the money and threw them next to the checker.

"Don't worry, cops are coming." He said as he walked to the back of the store. "Is there a back door?" He asked him right away.

"Yeah it's the red one. Oh and... Thanks." He nervously replied.

And without any further, he ran out of the store just in time to avoid the police officers that were already getting off from the vehicles. He ran through a dark alley without looking back, something a hero from the League would never do, but he seemed to have his own reasons to leave.

He kept running for a couple streets more until he got to a solitary street. There was an old black car parked in the middle of darkness, so he quickly got in to leave from that place.

 **12:17 AM.**

Far away from there, this vigilante was driving by Hiddenville's main avenue at a moderate speed. The light poles illuminated the inner of his vehicle as he passed by them. He frequently looked at the rearview, as though making sure no one was following him.

The streets were almost empty, so he was able to speed up the car just a little bit. Through his glasses, he could see the speed he was going, the temperature and some other important data about all the things he saw during the trip. They seemed to have a very advanced technology.

Once he was sure everything was fine, he finally took off the sunglasses and put them on the passenger seat, along with the strange weapon he previously used, which seemed to be a modified version of the Taser X26P.

Also, there was a "T" engraved on his suit, right in the middle of the chest.

This vigilante was Max Thunderman.

 **Palisades Central Mall, Hidenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **March 15, 2023, Wednesday.**  
 **11:32 AM.****

Next morning, Max had to buy some stuff he needed. He and Phoebe used to go to Palisades Center Mall when they wanted to go on a walk to a place where nobody recognized them. That way they could go hand in hand just like any other couple. They didn't have to hide their love whenever they go there. Back in the day, they spent hours together, going from one shop to another, but unfortunately those days were now in the past.

This was the first time he came alone, so it didn't take him more than an hour to buy all he needed for his day-to-day. His appearance hasn't really changed a lot in the last couple weeks, on the contrary, it was harder for someone to even recognize him.

He tried to shave frequently, but always stopped using the blade after a few days. Now his beard was beginning to be more noticeable, and the way he used to get dressed several months ago was now in the past, because now he simply grabbed the first thing he could find, and this day was a black shirt and jeans.

Now he was walking out the mall with a couple bags in both hands. He put all those things in the Pontiac's trunk but just when he was about to close it, he received a call from President Kickbutt. Max looked at the screen of his phone but after seeing who it was, he decided to let the phone ring a couple times more, until getting in the car:

"Yeah?" He said before listening to Evelyn's voice. "I know, I saw it in the news. Well there were those two at the store, and three more jerks that tried to steal from a woman and her son. Five bastards in one night, I think I beat my record." He began to explain in a bragging tone, after hearing what seemed to be a complaint. "Yeah I had to kick their asses, they had guns. Do you want me to remind you that I have no powers?" He responded, a little bit annoyed.

The Hero League has been complaining a lot for his new way of capturing criminals, but he couldn't keep quiet in front of any of them, especially in front of Evelyn, because after a week of his return, he was already calling her by her first name. Nobody would have guessed that Max was gonna change his personality so much. His will didn't seem to be at the mercy of her commands anymore.

"I didn't have time to send my report yesterday night, I was occupied with... other things, but don't worry... you'll have it on your desk later in the day. See ya." He coldly concluded before hanging up the call, then he spin the key to start the engine and get back to the apartment.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **12:17 PM.****

After some time he was at the building, trying to park the Pontiac next the a blue Mustang covered in dust. He took the bags out of the trunk and secured the vehicle's doors, then walked to the elevators to get to the eight floor. When the doors opened he walked inside and pressed the button. As the elevator was going up he had to ignore the people inside, because he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

A lot of things happened in the last two weeks. After being alone for such a long time, Max has finally decided to keep on with his life by getting back to the Hero League, just like Phoebe wanted. At first, President Kickbutt had her doubts, cause she wasn't very comfortable with the idea of sending him to the streets alone and powerless.

Along with Phoebe, he received a hard training that has turned him into a skillful fighter, but it wasn't enough. Without telekinesis as his main power it'll be impossible for him to attack enemies from long distances, or block bullet blasts from semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons. He didn't have any secondary power he could use for emergencies.

But the powers he lost during Black Friday were not the only talents he had, because in just one week he was able to create a super suit that was so different compared with the one he used as Thunerboy. The highlighted colors were replaced by darker shades and reinforced plates of Thundertanium. This suit was completely bullet proof.

It was the strongest metal in the world, but it could be very light if used properly. That way he could be safe from bullets and explosions but that wasn't all, he added an advanced hydraulic system that even noisy, gave him an incredible strength while using it. It was more like an armor than a simple suit.

He also modified one of the tasers they never used to build a powerful weapon capable of shooting electric blasts to his enemies and leave them unconscious in less than five seconds. The discartable cartridges with darts and 15 feet cables, were now a thing of the past.

His new attire was complemented by a pair of tactical glasses he built with pieces taken from a Google Glass, allowing him to get all the information about his surroundings, making some calculations, or hacking a wide variety of devices. It was the perfect way of having technology on his side, and hiding his identity at the same time.

Since last week he has been patrolling the streets with the old car he used during the last mission, that's why the Thundercar was still getting dusty in the parking lot. His new suit worked perfectly for the missions, and in just a few days he captured more than 30 dangerous criminals; robbers, killers, rapists, or just some gang members.

But something has changed, Max was not holding his rage while facing those guys anymore, because apart from using his weapon frequently, he didn't have any problem with beating them using the strength of his super suit, or throwing them several feet in the air to smash them against some wall. No one has realized yet, but there was an interesting pattern repeating over and over: they all used ski masks.

Things seemed to get better since Max was starting to get over Phoebe's death, and even if he hasn't visited his family yet, and the only communication they've had was by phone or Skype, they were all so happy when they found out that he'd be protecting Hiddenville again. However, Max was hiding something from them.

He didn't return to his super hero life just to bring justice to the city, he was actually doing it because that was the only way he could find the villain that killed Phoebe, and if having blood on his hands from interrogating every criminal in the city was helping to track him down, he would definitely keep doing it.

The truth is, he hasn't been able to get over Phoebe's death, and all he wanted was revenge. He was determined to risk his own life just to kill the villain who took the woman he loved away from him. No one knew anything about his plans, and clearly he was not gonna tell anyone. It was easier for him to hide his true reasons and pretend everything was just fine.

But that day, things were about to change. It all started with an unexpected visit.

 **12:25 PM.**

After leaving the elevator, Max walked through one of the hallways carrying the things he bought one hour ago. The elevators were not that far away from there, so he quickly made it to his door. He left both bags on the floor and took the keys out of his pocket.

"Finally!" A soft voice suddenly exclaimed behind him, making him turn around immediately.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" He asked with a look of confusion.

The little blonde girl was right in front of him, arms crossed. She was wearing a red-purple uniform with a SASS logo at the left side of the chest. Her hair was loose over her shoulders, and even if she still had the same sweet appearance from seven years ago, she looked a little mad this time.

"I'm fine Max, thanks for asking." She sarcastically replied.

"I'm sorry it's just, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Is everything all right?" Max questioned as he opened the door and lifted the bags from the floor.

"Actually... No. We need to talk." She announced with a serious voice.

"Okay, come in." He accepted, getting aside to let her walk in.

Once inside, Max put the bags on the floor and closed the door, but when he turned around his little sister surprised him with a strong hug. When he saw the girl wrapping his waist with her arms, he remembered she hasn't seen him in months, not even on Skype, so all he could do was hugging her back. She had the same height Nora had at her age.

"I'm so sorry Max." She said while firmly hugging him.

"Sorry for what?" He asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Phoebe, I... I could never say that in the funeral. Sorry." Chloe explained after letting him go. She looked a little sad.

"It's okay Chloe. Thank you, I really appreciate it." Max expressed after letting out a deep sigh. He suddenly remembered all those painful moments he wanted to forget. He didn't want her to see him like that so he tried to distract her by taking the bags to the kitchen. "Sit down, wanna drink something? I have water and... Water." He asked her from the table.

"No thanks." She replied while sitting on the couch and looked around the place.

At first glance everything looked just like she remembered, but it was clear for her that the place was in need of some attention. There were dust on some of the furniture, and the two little plants Phoebe used to water every day, were now dead in one of the corners. This saddened her to the point of getting very thoughtful, but then her brother's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in school?" He asked her while getting back in the living room.

"It's okay, it's recess time." She assured him, minimizing the issue

"Yeah right, that was an hour ago. I used to study there too, remember?" He said while crossing his arms.

"Okay, maybe I skipped one class or two... but I have a good reason." She assured with a serious look.

"Why? Is something wrong?" He curiously asked, taking a seat in front of her.

"Well... I teleported home this morning before going to school. I wanted to say mom and dad hi, but they were at the Thunder-Monitor talking to President Kickbutt. I think she told them something about you and some injured robbers. They sounded worried." She explained while looking to his eyes.

"Did they say anything else?" Max inquired immediately.

"Just that President Kickbutt would keep them updated in case something happens. Max, what she meant?" She questioned him, with a worried look on her face.

"Nothing, don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing serious." He tried to calm her down while standing up.

"Maybe I'm still a little girl, but I know when someone's lying to me. Tell me what's going on, please." She little girl insisted, standing up from the couch too.

Max looked down and took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to involve his little sister in something that could put her in danger. He didn't want her to feel forced to hide a secret that had nothing to do with her, but when he turned and looked into her eyes, something changed his mind.

"Fine, I know I can trust you. Phoebe always did. Look... When I got back to work for the Hero League, Evelyn reassigned me as the protector of Hiddenville, on one condition... I wouldn't get involved in the Dark Slaughter's capture mission. Maybe they thought I'd try to find him." He explained the blonde girl.

"I think they were scared you'd try to go after him alone. It must be hard to stop someone like that." Chloe said as she lowered her sight, very thoughtful.

"There are villains that shouldn't be stopped." He replied, turning his back on her and making Chloe rising up her face.

"You're looking for him because you want to stop him, right?" She asked, after hearing to this particular answer.

But he didn't say anything, not even a single word. It was something he couldn't deny. Then she nervously scratched the back of her head with both hands. His silence has confirmed her suspicions but refused to accept it, she couldn't believe what her brother was saying.

"Max... please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing." She questioned, fearing the worst.

"Like what, Chloe? Finding the man who murdered our sister in cold blood? Killing him to make justice? Well yeah Chloe, I'm looking for him because Phoebe didn't deserve to die like that." Max suddenly expressed while turning around in a burst of rage.

"Look... I can't even imagine what it's like to lose a twin sister, that's why I'm not judging you but... that's not justice Max, that's revenge. Believe me, killing him is not going not bring her back. She's gone." Chloe assured with a concerned voice.

"I know, but he must pay for what he did. He has to die." Max replied sharply.

"That's not for us to decide, Max." She mentioned with a serious look.

"I don't care, jail's not for him." He stated.

The little girl was in shock after listening to her brother. She cried Phoebe's death too, but Max seemed to be taking one path that may have no return, and that was worrying. After seeing the hate in his eyes, she already knew that trying to convince him was a waste of time, at least for now.

"Maybe we should talk about this later. I gotta go." She suddenly said, as she walked to the door.

"Chloe... I'm sorry if I scared you, but this is something I need to do so, please don't tell..." He tried to ask Chloe to keep his secret, but she interrupted.

"Yeah it's okay." She answered right away.

Chloe turned the knob and opened the door, she was about to leave but she stopped in her tracks. There was something she had to say first:

"By the way... I know everything about you and Phoebe, everything. Oh and don't worry, I'm not telling anyone." She said before walking out of the apartment, and closing the door immediately.

"What? Chloe... Chloe!" He yelled, astonished.

Max tried to go after her, so he quickly ran to open the door, but after he made it to the hallway, she was already gone.

"Shit!"

 **To be continued...**


	8. R for Retribution

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

"I'm sorry... he's not answering." Barb announced with a nervous voice.

Three months after the funeral, everyone tried to endure with Phoebe's loss in their own way. The parents and youngest siblings have joined the Hero League in the hope of capture Dark Slaughter and make justice, but things were a little bit different for Max.

He has been away from his family for months and spent all days in the apartment all alone, just remembering the woman he wanted to marry and starting a family with. He kept regretting for not being able to save her that day, and as much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

But without even knowing, Evelyn and her team have been trying to locate Dark Mayhem's son to stop him once and for all. He not only killed Phoebe, he also stole her powers and destroyed the orb containing Max's powers in it. He has become more powerful than any other villain on the Earth, because other than his plasmakinesis now he possessed all of Phoebe's powers.

Evelyn had a big number of agents investigating Dark Slaughter's whereabouts, and planned to bring Abigail Ashford back from Canada to help with her technopath abilities. Hank and Barb were part of this hard mission too, but unlike Billy and Nora, they considered that Max needed more time to joined them.

"He's not ready yet." Hank stated while sharing a serious look with his wife.

"All right, he's not getting involved in this mission." Evelyn concluded with an authoritative tone of voice.

A couple weeks later, Max was back in the streets patrolling Hiddenville. He didn't have his powers anymore so he was forced to create a Thundertanium suit he could use to protect the city again, but something has changed, because he didn't seem to have mercy on the criminals he captured every night, and he didn't care to make them bleed to get information.

"Where is Dark Slaughter?!" He asked with a deep voice, violently shacking the thief.

At first, everyone thought Max has beginning to get over Phoebe's death, but he actually has returned to the Hero League to find Dark Slaughter by himself and kill him. He tried to hide his true reasons but in time, Evelyn started to see a strange attitude, especially after checking his last reports.

"Yeah I had to kick their asses. Do you want me to remind you that I have no powers?" He rudely asked.

However, things were about to change, because one day Max received an unexpected visit from a girl wearing a SASS uniform; his little sister Chloe. The girl missed him as much as she missed Phoebe, and has been waiting for months to see, but she was there to find out the truth about something she heard.

While her parents were trying to capture the villain, Chloe has been living with aunt Mandy in Metroburg, but one day she teleported in her parent's house, just to hear them talking to President Kickbutt about the violent rescues Max has been performing in the last few days. That's why she was so worried.

"Max... please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing." She questioned, fearing the worst.

"He must pay for what he did. He has to die." Max replied sharply.

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 8: R for Retribution.**

 **Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **June 19, 2023, Monday.**  
 **11:23 PM****

The city of Hiddenville has never been known for having high rates of crime, not even the Industrial District. Some years ago only a couple of robbers or frustrated stealing were reported in the whole year. It was nothing a team of well trained officers couldn't solve. However, things have changed a lot since then.

The days where the news focused their attention on violent events that took place in other cities, were now in the past. Now crime has became more frequent during the nights, and even with a vigilante patrolling the streets, people still missed the days where the Thundertwins used to save the city together.

At the end of last year, the news were drowned with the tragedy that fell on the protectors of Hiddenville. In just a few days everyone knew about the death of Thundergirl, which sink Max into a deeper depression, and couldn't even turn on the T.V. without being reminded how he failed to save her.

When Max returned patrolling the streets everything seemed to be back to normal. Crime rates started to decline slowly, and every night all the guys he left behind were arrested by the police. Broken bones, severe bruises, open wounds or unconscious bodies found in impossible situations. Nothing seemed to stop him.

As the time passed, this strange vigilante was beginning to be known as "the hunter", and there was no day where the news didn't mentioned that name. No one knew who he was or if he was a registered hero from the League, but there were rumors saying that he was no one else but the twin that didn't died, looking for revenge.

That Monday night the city seemed to be more quiet than usual. There weren't a lot of cars going on Brewster Avenue, just a few from time to time, but in this same avenue there was a red car parked in front of an ATM cabin. There was a woman inside there, introducing her Hiddenville Central Bank credit card.

She was wearing an elegant black suit and heels of the same color. Her dark hair was tied in a braid resting on her left shoulder, and used horn rimmed glasses. She looked like an office girl. It only took her a couple minutes to take the money she needed, and after putting the bucks in her purse she walked out of the cabin straight to her car.

She was about to get in her 2020 Mazda 3, when she saw three guys with gangbanger appearance walking out of an alley. None of them was covering their faces so she could clearly see them, because there was a lamp post lighting up the street. Her heart suddenly started pounding really hard, especially when she saw they were walking up to her.

"Hey gorgeous. Why so lonely?" One of them asked as the rest of them got close to prevent her from running.

The girl knew what was coming, so once she remembered all those T.V. commercials, she came up with something that could save her in a situation like that, so after taking a step backwards, she threw her purse to the floor for them to take it, and so the keys of her car.

"You can take all you want but please... Let me go." She said with fear in the eyes.

Soon the girl found herself gathered by the three guys, in the middle of those vulgar expressions they kept saying after having a closer look. Her fear has beginning to increase, since none of them seemed to be really interested in taking her belongings and let her go. A lot of things were crossing through her mind until the guy in front of her spoke again:

"We don't want your shit babe, we want you."

She tried to run but the other two were faster than her and cached her right away. She desperately yelled in her attempts to break free but it was useless, they were so much stronger than her. The last thing they wanted was a woman screaming for help, so the guy that seemed to be the boss, got close to her and gave her a slap that watered her eyes.

"Shut up!" He shouted out while pulling out something from his pocket.

That's when the girl saw a bright and sharpened blade appearing in front of her. She could barely see her own reflection on it. Now the girl was shaking because deep down her, she knew what these guys wanted from her. She couldn't stop wondering why she had to leave her house at such a late hour.

"No, please no!" She said terrified, almost feeling her heart violently pounding against her chest.

"Calm down, nothing's gonna happen to you if you're a good girl." He assured while holding the knife close to her neck.

When she felt the cold knife on her skin, she immediately got the chills. She was so scared that couldn't even speak, she just started to sob and tried to convince herself that it was just a terrible nightmare, but when she felt the hand of this guy perversely caressing her check, she closed the eyes and dropped some tears that fell down her face.

"Bring her to the alley." He suddenly ordered his partners.

After hearing this, the poor girl started to move with all her strengths, trying to escape from those guys in the middle of sobbing that only made them laugh. In the end, all of her efforts were useless because in just a few seconds, she was in the bottom of a dark alley being submitted by the leader, as the others remained several feets behind.

"It doesn't matter how hard you fight, no one's gonna help you." He assured while pushing her against the wall.

Then the guy began rubbing her waist with both hands, which made her feel disgusted at every second. For one moment, she regretted for putting on that short skirt in the morning. It was like she was blaming herself for what was happening, and couldn't stop crying every time she felt those cold hands touching her skin.

She suddenly felt how those hands reached her breasts, and with a single move he tore the white shirt, exposing her bra and making some buttons fly all around the place. The young girl was still crying and tried to cover up her breasts with both hands, but after seeing this he stopped her right away. The partners were just looking at the scene with lust.

"If you keep moving, I'm really gonna hurt you." He whispered in her ear while sliding both hands all the way to her back.

"Not if I hurt you first." An unknown voice suddenly replied.

The guy stopped in his tracks to see where that voice was coming from, but then a loud rumble shook the whole place. Something has landed right behind this man, leaving some cracks on the loor and a light layer of dust all over the place. In an instant the laughs have stopped completely.

Soon the dust dissipated and his partners saw what seemed to be a guy among the shadows. He was wearing a pair of tactical glasses, a black armor suit and a "T" engraved on his chest that reflected the light of the moon. It was Hiddenville's new vigilante, just in time to take care of those dangerous rapists. It was Max Thunderman, or as the news used to call him 'the hunter'.

The gang boss could barely turn around because in the blink of an eye, Max grabbed him by the clothes and threw him to a trash container several feet behind, making him scream out loud before getting smashed there. The other two were astonished after seeing what he just did, and could only see their boss falling down to the ground, all sored.

One of them went after Max with an automatic knife in his hand and tried to stab him from the back, but he was able to see the shadow on the wall, so he quickly turned around to take him by the forearm, and started to apply pressure. Soon a motorized sound came from the suit, and a cracking bone made the guy drop the knife, yelling in pain.

Soon after, Max let his arm go and kicked him in the stomach to throw him to the nearest wall of the alley, leaving a wide cracking mark when his back touched the bricks, and the criminal fell on the floor unconscious. Now there was only one man standing, so Max grabbed his electric weapon to take him down, but the guy moved faster than him and kicked it to the ground.

"You're gonna die you son of a..." The guy exclaimed as he took something from the back of his pants.

Then he aimed at Max with an old revolver, straight to his forehead. He slowly closed the eyes as the criminal pulled the trigger, but the bullet was not shot. The hammer seemed to be stucked so he tried to make it work by hitting the barrel, but it didn't worked. Max didn't waste his time, so he quickly opened the eyes and grabbed the gun with one to use the strength of his suit and bent down the barrel, leaving the gun completely useless.

Now the guy could only use his hands to fight back, so he dropped the gun and went to face him, but no matter how hard he tried to hit him he simply was not match for him, and when he had a chance, Max punched him right in the face and the guy started to bleed immediately, forcing him to put both of his hands on the nose, barely handling the pain.

Then Max rolled across the floor to pick the electric gun and when he finally aimed it at the last man, he fired a powerful load that put him on the floor immediately. Now the guy was writhing in pain due to the incredible discharge running through his body, until he finally went unconscious.

The situation seemed to be under control so Max tried to make sure if the girl was fine, but before he could go there he saw the first guy trying to stand up, and before risking to have another guy to fight with, he went after him and violently pulled him by the shirt.

"Enjoy the prison, they love to meet your kind." He warned him with a threatening voice. "Good luck." He concluded before giving him a powerful punch in the face that knocked him down right away.

Soon after that, Max saw the girl at the bottom of the alley, so he walked to her. She has remained seated against the wall trying to cover up her breasts with both arms, and during all that time she hasn't stopped crying, not even a second. When she saw Max getting close to her, she could finally have a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" He asked with his real voice, as he helped her to stand up.

The alley was really dark but Max was able to see one of her lips was swollen due to the savage slap she received a couple minutes ago, and her makeup was smudged from crying that long. She really tried but couldn't answer to his question, she simply nodded and hugged him in the middle of sobbing she couldn't control. Max hugged her back, trying to comfort her.

When his arms wrapped that poor girl, he felt something weird. That wavy hair on her left shoulder, that sweet smell that came from it and filled his nostrils. Suddenly some memories came to his mind because for some reason, this woman reminded him of Phoebe, even when they didn't look alike.

"Don't worry, they're not gonna hurt you." He tried to calm her down after leaving his thoughts abruptly. He slowly let her go and after seeing on the map of his tactical glasses a police car getting close, he said: "You'll be fine, the police are on its way." Then he turned around to walk out of the alley, perfectly knowing that the officers would help her.

"Wait..." The girl stopped him with her shaky hand. "Please... Don't leave." She added, with fear in the eyes.

He briefly doubted after hearing the young woman's request. The last thing he wanted was dealing with police officers and explaining why a registered hero from the League has been using such aggressive methods to stop criminals, but after scanning her heart beats with the glasses, he decided to make an exception:

"All right, I'll stay here until they come." He agreed, getting close to her.

"Thank you." The young woman expressed, while wiping up the tears from her face.

As they waited on the sidewalk, Max could have a better look of the girl in front of him. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, and there was something about that black wavy hair that looked so familiar. Her outfit reminded him of that time Phoebe dressed with a very a elegant attire to apply for a job at Wong's Pizza Palace.

A sudden smile was drawn on his face, but he couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened to this girl if he hasn't arrived at the alley. He really wanted to beat each one of the guys that were still lying on the ground because as far as he concerned, jail was not enough punishment for what they tried to do. He was so angry.

Fortunately, he and the girl didn't have to wait for so long because in less than five minutes, they could hear some police cars getting closer, so the girl turned to face Max, perfectly knowing it may be the last time she could see her new hero, and there was only one thing she wanted to tell him:

"I'll never forget what you did for me." She assured with tears of happiness.

"Take care." Max responded with his deep voice again.

When he saw the red-blue lights illuminating the street he knew it was the perfect moment to leave, so he quickly grabbed his other weapon and raised the arm to shot a long cable attached to a sharpened hook that got latched from one of the edges of a building, and when he pressed a button on the grip he flew up and disappeared in the darkness.

Once he got at the top of the building, he saw the police cars parking in front of the alley and some officers ran out to help the young woman. Before leaving the building he wanted to make sure they put those rapists into custody, so he pressed the right button on his tactical glasses to deactivate the night vision mode, and zoomed in to have a better look of the scene, and the next thing he saw was the officers handcuffing every one of them.

"It's done." He said to himself right before running across the roof.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **20 June, 2023, Tuesday.**  
 **02:44 AM****

Some hours later, Max was back in the apartment and the first thing he did when he crossed the door was leaving his gear on the floor and sitting in front of the computer to start making his report. It was a tedious process due to the big amount of criminals he busted all nights, but it was still part of the protocol.

The tactical glasses he created could do so much more than hacking complex systems, and were able to get a person's physical state by scanning them, just like he did with the girl he saved. That's why he scanned every one of the three guys from the alley before leaving, because he was gonna need the information he got from the analysis.

A spinal dislocation, two broken forearm, one nose fracture, a broken leg, several lacerations and various internal wounds, was the list showed on the computer screen once he transferred the information from the glasses. Without a doubt, Evelyn wouldn't be so happy after reading his report by the morning.

However, all those complaints from Human Resources weren't something that kept him awake during the nights, because he already got a lot of things to think about. It took him about one hour to finish the report and when he finally sent it, he stood up from the chair and walked to that big window, just to stop right in the spot where Phoebe used to stand.

A lot of things were running through his mind at that moment, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the alley, after being disarmed so easily. He almost got shot in the head, and the weird thing is that he wasn't even scared, he was actually blaming himself for not being fast enough to stop him.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed in rage while punching the wall, after remembering what happened.

He was about to die this night. It was something he couldn't forget because when that man pulled the trigger, Max has already accepted his fate. He knew it was almost impossible to survive a shot at point-blank range straight to the head, so when he saw the barrel right in front of him, he simply closed the eyes, waiting to find the love of his life once again.

Soon he began to ask himself if this what he really wanted. If all the time he spent protecting Hiddenville all alone was nothing more than a lame excuse to die in line of duty, or if he was doing it to avenge his girlfriend's death because he couldn't live without her. But deep down him, he was sure that Phoebe wouldn't be so proud if she knew what he was thinking right now.

And even if things didn't went as he expected, after the events of that night he realized that he needed to build a better weapon. One that he could use so much faster than the electric pistol, and didn't let him helpless if he got involved into a hand-to-hand combat.

He kept thinking about it as he looked at the lights of the farthest buildings, which seemed to be moving if concentrated long enough. When he found himself staring at the lights without even blinking, he actually knew why Phoebe used to look at the city by the nights; it was so relaxing.

The silence has beginning to calm him down when all of a sudden, a strange noise brought him to his senses. He quickly turned around to see what it was, and once he followed the sound all the way to the living room, he saw his modified Taser was covered with electric arcs. It was clear for him it has been damaged as a result of the fight, so he'd have to repair it if he ever wanted to use it again.

He wanted to turn it off but couldn't take it with his bare hands, or the discharge could hurt him. Then he came up with something and grabbed one of the gauntlets of his suit and put it on the right hand to lift it up. The gauntlet was heavy due to the Thundertanium plates and could easily conduct electricity, but there was a kevlar insulator in the inside to protect him from his own weapon.

When he finally hold the electric pistol, he kept staring at it for some seconds. His mind seemed to be having an idea, so once he disconnected the power source, he let the device on the floor and got back to his computer desk to find something real quick.

He rushed to open one of the drawers to take a pencil and his old sketch book, then seated in front of the desk and the next thing he did was searching through the pages for a blank space he could use, and when he finally did he started to make some strange draws on the paper.

At first it only looked like nonsense scrawls, but soon those lines began to take form. Max has always been good at drawing and creating devices that people could only dream of, and every time he concentrated like that, was because he was working on something very important, and wouldn't stop until finishing.

 **05:39 AM**

Finally, after a couple hours Max dropped the pencil on the desk and kept staring at draw on the paper. A sudden smile appeared on his face as he carefully looked at his right hand very slowly, as though he was trying to visualize his most recent creation.

On that 7.5'' paper, there was the first sketch of what seemed to be a new weapon, and for the notes he just wrote at the bottom, it would be so much powerful than the electric pistol that was lying on the floor right now, next to a damaged graphene battery.

Max let the book on the desk and headed to the living room to lie on the couch. It has been a very long night and all he wanted to do was trying to get some sleep before receiving the furious call from President Kickbutt by the morning. He slided one finger on his smartwatch and turned the lights off.

He was falling asleep that he completely forgot about turning off the computer screen, so the desk was partially lighted up. The sketch book was still there, right on the same page where he drew that thing, but there was something written with capital letters on the top of the page that read:

"PROJCT TESLA 2.0"

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **12:31 PM****

Later that day, Max was still sleeping in the living room, something he has been doing frequently in the last few months, because all those night patrols were so tiring that he used to sleep till really late at night, not to mention the hours he spent in front of the computer looking for information that could help him find Dark Slaughter, but he hasn't had much luck so far.

In more than one occasion he had to prioritize who needed his help more because for some reason, every time he found a suspect guy wearing a black ski mask, he suddenly received an alert to save someone from a worst danger, just like he did last night with the girl from the alley.

Right before receiving that alert in his cell phone, he was on the top of a building following two guys walking around an abandoned house. They were all wearing black ski masks so he thought they could be part of Dark Slaughter's army, plotting something.

When he saw the phone screen, he doubt for a minute if he had to go to the marked place on his map, but when a loud scream was heard at the distance, he dropped what he was doing and ran out of there. He couldn't keep a track on those men that night, but at least he could put three dangerous rapists behind bars.

Now he was there, peacefully sleeping on the couch that shared with Phoebe so many times. The sunlight has slowly beginning to cover his face, since he forgot to close the windows before going to sleep. He seemed like he was about to wake up but he just rolled on the couch to avoid the windows.

He was sleeping so deeply that didn't felt when he dropped his cell phone. He didn't even hear that continuous sound that rumbled across the room every fifteen minutes, for more than two hours.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

He has been sleeping for more than seven hours, and no matter how many times the Thunder-Monitor alert went out, he didn't seemed to hear it. He could barely dream about Phoebe without having to see her dying in that terrible nightmare. He has seen her just a few times in his dreams and unfortunately for him, this was one of them.

After a couple minutes, Max started to move on the couch, trying to stay asleep but he couldn't. When he finally opened the eyes, he looked around and use his right hand to cover himself from the warm sunshine rays. At this point he didn't care about paying attention to the alert, that's why he had look at the T.V. to know who has ruined his dream.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

Evelyn's alert was still playing over and over again, and after seeing the number of recent calls on the screen, it wasn't really hard for him to figure out what she wanted to tell him so urgently. Obviously she has read the report he sent several hours ago, and was so sure that the first thing she'd do after accepting the call would, be yelling at him.

With all that noise in the living room, Max was starting to get desperate and was not in the mood to talk to her, but even when he hasn't shown the same amount of respect than before, he preferred not to ignore her calls, so much to his dismay, he stood up from the couch and took the remote from the crystal table.

After pressing the "Ok" button to accept the transmission, Evelyn appeared on the monitor immediately. She was seated at the desk of her office, with a bunch of papers in her hands, and judging by the expression on her face, he could tell how angry she was.

"Max Thunderman, where the hell have you been?!" She asked with an authorative voice.

"I was just... trying to get some sleep." Max replied while rubbing the eyes.

"Well it's past midday. I've been calling you for hours!" Evelyn complaint, putting the papers on the desk.

"I know, it's just... Didn't sleep well last night." He tried to explain, looking at the screen.

"I bet you do, considering how busy you were in the alley of Brewster Avenue. Max you can't keep doing this. It's been months since I'm trying to justify all of your actions with Hidenville Police Department. Every morning I receive a report like this." She explained while taking one of the papers.

"It can't be that serious." He commented, trying to minimize the matter.

"Oh really? Let's see... Injured robbers, psychopaths with broken bones, gang members stucked in thick metal objects, and so on, and so on." Evelyn numbered with a concerning tone of voice.

He knew this would happen soon or later. He had spent months severely punishing every criminal he found on the streets, without even showing any mercy. Not to mention the tough interrogations they were subjected to in his attempts to find any clue that could lead him to Dark Slaughter. Deep down him he knew why he was doing all those things, but didn't want to admit it.

"Maybe I've gone a little too far lately, but..." He tried to justify himself, but she interrupted.

"Max, I have dozens of complaints from civilians, visits from State Department, and a bunch of government sanctions. Thousands of dollars in losses for the Hero League, damn it not even Tech Rider caused such expenses in his years of service. I know you're not a police, but trying to be the judge, the jury and the executioner, that's... that's not justice."

When he heard the last word, something strange grew up inside him. He couldn't understand how this cold women who enjoyed kicking criminals in her youth, seemed to feel compassion for them. But in the middle of his confusion he tried to explain the reason for his actions.

"Justice? Did you ever read my report? Do you know what were they gonna do to that girl? They would've raped her if I hadn't arrived at the alley. Those animals don't deserve justice." He expressed with coldness in his gaze.

"Maybe not, but we have laws, that's how this nation works. It is one thing to fight the bad guys to stop them, it is another to nearly beat them to death for the police to find them." She clarified raising the voice, trying to make him realize his mistake.

"Yeah well... That's less than they deserve." He responded, carelessly crossing the arms.

"Look..." She began to say, letting out a deep sigh, trying to calm down. "I tried to be indulgent on you because I know you went through very difficult moments. After losing your sister I knew you'd need some time to recover, but when you got back your family was so happy for you that I decided to make an exception, and didn't make you go through the mandatory psychological evaluation. Now I think I made a terrible mistake."

Max took a deep breath after hearing what she said. He perfectly knew the Hero League's protocol in case of a death. He'd have to go through a strict psychological test to determinate if he was able to keep working. If failed, he'd have to spend weeks or maybe months going from therapy to therapy, just to help him bear with his loss and eventually, get back to work.

When he decided to get back the last thing he wanted was wasting his time visiting psychologists, because his only goal was to find his sister's murder. Luckily for him, he never had to do any of those things, because Evelyn authorized his return immediately, and in just a few days he was building his new suit.

He had to convince her somehow, so he quickly thought about a response she'd like to hear. Lying has worked before, especially during his years as a villain.

"You want me to say that's not gonna happen again, right? Okay... So be it." Max assured her, looking at the screen.

"I hope so, because if I ever get another report like this..." Evelyn tried to warn him, but Max rushed to finish her sentence.

"I know, I know, you'll kick me out of the Z-Force." He added, anticipating her answer.

"No. You'll be out of the Hero League." She seriously rectified. "President Kickbutt, out." She concluded the transmission by pressing the button on her desk.

After turning off the monitor he stood there, right in the middle of the room as the Evelyn's words were still playing in his mind. Soon he realized that all those years of training could end up in a trash bin if he ever tried to break the rules, even for one more time. Now he was warned.

Maybe Evelyn was right, maybe he shouldn't be doing that, but every time he found a criminal on the streets, he kept seeing Dark Slaughter on each one of their faces, and no matter what punishment or stopping method he used on them, nothing seemed to be enough to satisfy his rage. That Black Friday something died inside him too.

At that very moment there was a sound that took him by surprise and made him turn around immediately. It was his phone showing an alert on the screen, so he lifted it off the floor and slided his thumb to unlock it and see who it was.

After opening the notification he saw a message from Chloe, and didn't hesitate to open it. He hasn't seen her in months, ever since the day they had that conversation where he revealed the reason of his return. During all that time he tried to contact her so many times, he even went to SASS and waited for her at the main door, but he never saw her.

That was something very common for her. Every time she was really sad or got mad at someone, Chloe made sure that nobody could find her, so after opening the message he thought that he could finally talk to her about his relationship with Phoebe, because due to her age and the way she said good bye that day, he thought she must have a lot of questions.

On the screen of his phone, there was a message that read:

 _"I need to talk to you."_

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **25 June, 2023, Sunday.**  
 **10:52 PM****

Almost one week later, Chloe went to the apartment to have a talk to him. She has promised to see him next Sunday, after aunt Mandy has fall asleep, so Max deactivated the anti-teleport system before her arrival, that way she could get in without any problem.

She suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room, wearing her Thundertwins pajamas, and her blonde hair loose on her shoulders. She has arrived almost one hour ago, enough time to ask her brother all she needed to know, and that is exactly what she was doing right now.

"And that's how it all started, with a forgiven kiss on our graduation day." Max concluded, letting out a deep sigh and lowering his gaze.

"That's so romantic." The little girl said with a smile on her face. "I'm sure you and Phoebe were so confused after that kiss." She added right away.

"You have no idea." He answered with a nervous grin. "I remember we tried to avoid talking for days but... we couldn't." He confessed, longingly remembering those grateful moments he lived with his twin. "But you don't look so surprised." He added after noticing she was still smiling.

"Yeah well...I already had my suspicions." She said, hesitating for a second if she must tell him.

One of his eyebrows raised after hearing to the last word. It was so hard for him to believe their relationship could've been prone to raise suspicions from the people around them. He tried to remember something that could explain how his little sister was able to find out their secret, but he couldn't.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a confused look.

"Well... all those silly arguing, those complicit stares you used to share, the way you smiled to each other after the trip to Hawaii. But I think when I saw you guys passionately kissing by candlelights that kinda confirmed everything." She sarcastically assured him.

The expression on his face was a poem. He perfectly knew that Chloe should have seen or heard something that compromise their secret relationship, but he never thought she would caught them in a situation like that. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

"What?! Where...? When did this happen?" He nervously asked.

"It was a couple months after you moved here. One day I was in home and had nothing to do, so I teleported here to watch Frozen 2 with both of you and... I saw you guys kissing in this same couch." She confessed with an expression Max didn't know how to interpret.

"Shit." He muttered while closing the eyes. "You must have hundreds of questions right now, and I don't know if..." He began to say, but she didn't let him continue.

"Max, I don't want you to feel like I'm judging you. Of course I was a little confused at first, but in time I realized that you only wanted to be happy together, and weren't hurting anyone else with your relationship. I just want you to know that your secret is safe with me." She promised with a sincere voice.

After listening to his little sister words, Max felt a big relief inside him. He never thought that one day he'd be talking to someone about his relationship with Phoebe, and there he was, seated in front of a 12 years old girl, trusting the greatest secret of his life.

"Thanks." He replied with a soft smile. "You know...We were going to tell all the truth on Thanksgiving. We planned it for weeks and were so nervous after dinner, but no matter how many times we tried, we just couldn't. We just wanted to live without having to hide our love from the family... Or the world." He explained right away, with a sad expression on his face.

"That explains why I had the feeling that you wanted to tell us something all night." She tried to remember after listening to her brother's confession. "Oh by the way..." She suddenly said while standing up from the couch. "Some days ago I found this." She briefly said, getting close to him to put something in his hand.

He looked down to his palm an hold his breath when he saw what she placed there; it was Phoebe's necklace, the one that had a small thunder charm that matched her last name. She never stopped using it since he gave it for her 13th birthday, so he was so socked at that moment, and lots of questions were crossing his mind.

"Where did you get this?" He asked with tears in the eyes.

"Mom and dad wanted to take it to the funeral service, but they never found it. I guess they never thought about taking a look in your lair." She said with a hint of sadness in her face.

Max closed the hand with the charm inside it, and without saying anything else he stood up to hug Chloe. Everything seemed to have sense now. That day at the funeral, he noticed Phoebe wasn't using the necklace, so he thought she must have lost it during the fight, but now he knew the truth.

"Thanks Chloe I really appreciate it." He expressed, without being able to hold his tears anymore.

"Please, don't go after him." She suddenly begged him, taking him by surprise.

He slowly let her go and after looking at her face, he saw some tears running down her cheeks. He perfectly knew what was she talking about, and even if he'd have preferred to let her live in a lie, he decided to be honest with the only person that will ever know about his secret:

"I have to." Max stated without any doubts. "It's just... I feel like if don't do this... I'd be letting her down." He confessed right after.

"I know, it's just..." Chloe hesitated. She wasn't sure of how he'd take what she was going to say, but in the end she decided to take the risk. "I don't wanna lose another sibling." She quickly said right before hugging him again.

"You won't Chloe..." He promised as he steadily looked at Phoebe's necklace in his hand. "You won't."

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **July 16, 2023, Sunday.**  
 **09:15 AM****

Three weeks have passed in the blink of an eye, but things didn't change a lot since then. The Thunderman family was still working with President Kickbutt to discover Dark Slaughter's whereabouts. Chloe was still living in aunt Mandy's house and used to spend the weekends with her parents, or at least when they were not too busy at the League.

In the other hand, Max was still avoiding visiting his family. He preferred to spend several weeks hacking all the security cameras around the city, just to scan every one of them with a face recognition system he programmed, and would alert him in case of detecting the face of his main target.

He never stopped doing his night patrols, hoping to find on the streets the clues he couldn't find on the internet, but hasn't found anything yet. He even went to keep an eye on the abandoned house where he saw those two guys walking around, but the place was always empty.

After Evelyn's warning, Max tried to control his rage every time he stopped a criminal on the streets. He seemed to have succeeded because in the last few weeks he captured more than 50 delinquents around the whole city, and none of them had serious injuries after being found by the police.

However, what consumed most of his time was the new weapon he was working on. He used to spend hours making advanced mathematical calculations and analyzing every detail on his main computer, while letting the face recognition system running on another computer he used for emergencies.

He hasn't slept the whole night, not even a single time. He even forgot to send his report to the Hero League, but sacrificing all those hours of sleep have finally worth it because he was able to create a prototype of his new invention, and was about to test it. He was seated in front of the metal desk, looking at the 3D design on the computer screen as he made the last adjustments.

 _"Okay, just a little bit more..."_ He said to himself right before plugging a USB-C cable to the prototype, which made a couple leds blink.

This new weapon was a gauntlet made of black colored Thundertanium, similar to the one he already used with his super suit, but this looked a little different. There was a circular node right in the middle of the palm, and judging by the design and the animation turning on the screen, it seemed it could shoot some powerful energy blast.

He had to wait for the information to be fully processed, so Max was impatiently looking at the progress bar of his programming software. Some minutes later he finally unplug the cable form the gauntlet. Everything was ready for the first testing so after activating the mechanism to adjust the gauntlet to his right hand, he aimed his palm at a mannequin at the other side of the living room.

He was about to shoot when he suddenly heard a very familiar sound that stopped him right away.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

After spending all night working on the gauntlet, he wasn't in the mood to attend to Evelyn's call. He was so tired that felt like his eyes were starting to close from time to time, so after hearing the alert for the second time, he rolled the eyes while thinking:

 _"Damn... this one."_

And for the first time since he joined the Hero League, Max decided to ignore the Thunder-Monitor and so President Kickbutt, something Phoebe would've never imagined, and without double thinking he proceeded to shoot the gauntlet to the mannequin, letting the alert playing over and over.

He extended his right hand a little bit and threw a powerful energy blast out of his palm that illuminated the whole room and hit the mannequin, destroying it in the split of a second, but also leaving some burning marks all over the wall behind it. His new invention was a succeed.

"Perfect." He exclaimed as a soft smile was drawn on his face.

 _"Alert, alert... Incoming transmission from Super President Kickbutt."_

Now that he saw his new weapon in action, he felt that all of his work was finally paying off, and after seeing all the pieces of that old mannequin on the floor, he almost forgot about the Thunder-Monitor alert. There was a moment before shooting where he could barely see Dark Slaughter's face on the mannequin, and the sole idea of doing the same to him someday, made him feel a strange satisfaction.

But suddenly he noticed something weird; the Thunder-Monitor alert has stopped without any explanation, and then he saw President Kickbutt appearing on the screen, along with Hank and Barb. That was enough for him to drop what he was doing and slowly walked to the Monitor, without even taking off the gauntlet.

It was the first time he saw his parents in months, and as far as he could tell, they looked a little different from the ones he used to remember. They were both using dark colored clothing and when he saw the expression on their faces, he actually knew something serious was happening.

"Max Thunderman!" Evelyn exclaimed with a furious voice the moment she saw him.

"Did you just accept the transmission?" He asked without being able to believe what he saw. "That's impossible, I modified the monitor, it's hackers proof."

"Not for our hacker. Anyway... What the hell were you thinking?!" She immediately asked, rising up the voice.

"I know, I know, I forgot to send my report last night but don't worry, it'll only take me one hour to..." Max tried to explain but she didn't allowed him.

"Could you just shut up for a second and listen to me? I was visited by an agent from State Department one hour ago. You have any idea of how bad you let the robber you captured last night? The police found him on the street and he barely had vital signs. He was lucky for make it to the hospital." Evelyn explained with an expression he didn't remember seeing.

"He didn't looked that bad when I left him on the ground." Max carelessly replied, without understanding what she was trying to say.

"Really? Well, he's in a coma right now, they say he may never come out of it." She revealed, leaving him speechless.

At that moment he began to remember what happened last night during a robbery attempt, trying to find an answer to Evelyn's complaint. Everything happened in less than a minute, but he was able to remember the way he stopped the criminal from running away with the girl's purse.

"I threw him against a wall but... Never thought he would end up so badly." Max seriously said. "Well, at least the girl is safe." He added right away.

"Son, President Kickbutt told us everything. How could you do all those things?! Me and your mother just read all of your reports!" His father asked him very angry, hoping to hear anything that could explain any of his actions.

He perfectly knew what he was talking about. All the things he has been doing were in those reports, so he thought there was no reason to hide it anymore.

"I couldn't help it dad, those bastards don't feel anything from killing innocent people, they're not afraid of police and if they ever go to prison that's useless for them because when they're released, they keep committing the same crimes that put them inside in the first place. They're all damages goods. I don't understand why the government's so worried about them." He expressed without hesitating.

An uncomfortable silence grew up inside of the room. None of them has ever heard him talking like that before. He not only revealed the real reason of his actions, but also let them know that he felt he was doing right, that his actions were completely justified even if they were above the law.

"Son, we're superheroes, we can't just take justice into our hands." Barb reminded him with tears in the eyes, unable to believe what he was saying.

"Why don't you say that to the girl's family, mom? That bastard shot him in the chest, just like...!" Max tried to explain in the middle of his desperation, but stopped after realizing what he was about to say.

"Say it Max: just like Phoebe. I knew you weren't ready to come back and clearly the events from last night are proof of it. I'm sorry Max but I warned you, you're out of the Hero League." Evelyn announced, visibly disappointed. "I promise you'll receive all the help you need but from now on, you won't be able to..." She kept saying but Max didn't seem to listen to her.

What she said was still repeating in the back of his head: 'You're out of the Hero League'. At that moment Max finally realized what just happened, and started to remember all those days he spent with Phoebe, trying to get in the Z-Force. He kept listening to Evelyn but couldn't figure out any of her words.

"Max... Are you even listening to me?" She questioned after noticing he was distracted.

"Go to hell." Max suddenly said, leaving his parents open-mouthed, and sharing some nervous looks.

"Excuse me?!" Evelyn immediately asked with a angry voice.

"I said... Go to hell. For years we've been living submitted to your commands. My parents spent their life obeying you and now they're by your side, waiting for you to throw them a bone after capturing the man who killed their daughter in cold blood. That bastard may have shot that bullet, but if Phoebe's death is because we blindly followed your stupid plans. Why would you send two heroes on their own to a place full of armed guys?"

Evelyn didn't know what to say. In all those 25 years leading the Hero League, she never had to deal with someone who dared to question her orders, not to mention to be challenged the way Max doing it right now. What he did during his first ceremony cape was nothing compared to this.

"Son, what do you think you're doing?!" Hank furiously demanded.

"What I should've done a long time ago, dad. I know you've been trying to find Dark Slaguhter, but I guess Evelyn told you not to tell me, right?" He openly questioned.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Barbara exclaimed right after listening her son.

"Of course I know, mom! For the first time I see everything more clearly. Now that 'your president' expelled me from the League I'm finally free to do what any of you hasn't been able to achieve in all this time; killing the bastard that took Phoebe away from me." He furiously announced.

"Listen to me, you are strictly forbidden..." Evelyn tried to warn him, but now he was the one who interrupted her.

"No. You can't forbid me anything, none of you can. But I swear to god that when I find that son of a bitch, there won't be any piece of him for you to find." He assured, leaving all of them speechless. "Especially not after this." He added right after as he aimed his right hand at the Thunder-Monitor. "Good bye Evelyn."

Those were the last words Evelyn Hank and Barb were able to hear because at that very moment, Max activated his repulsor gauntlet and shot an energy blast that made the screen blow up in thousands of pieces that flew all over the living room.

Max wasn't so happy with being expelled from the Hero League, but there was no turning back. He was so upset for throwing down the drain all the time he and Phoebe invested to earn their places in the Hero League, and then the Z-Force, but this was the price he'd have to pay if he wanted to avenge her death.

 _"I'm sorry Phoebe, but it was necessary."_ He thought as a tear fell down his cheek.

 **Liga de Héroes, Metroburgo.** **  
 **09:30 AM****

When the transmission on Evelyn's computer got lost, Hank kept staring at the screen for some seconds. After seeing the expression on his face, Barb immediately knew how furious he was. He couldn't believe how his own son has preferred to ruin his future as a superhero just for revenge.

He wanted to fly out of there as fast as he could and bring him to the headquarters to try to reason with him. Maybe that way he could convince him to leave everything behind, so after Evelyn turned off the Monitor he tried to leave the meeting room, but all of a sudden, something stopped him.

When he looked at his left shoulder, he saw a hand with a wedding ring that looked so familiar:

"Hank, no." Barb begged him with a comprehensive look. Then she made him turn around to look him in the eyes.

"Honey, I have to bring him or he may do something he'll regret for the rest of his life." He answered while taking both of her hands to make her understand.

"I know, but not like that. You're so angry right now and I know you wanna help him, but you know as good as me that when he reacts like that he doesn't welcome you with open arms. Just... give him some time, okay?" She tried to negotiate with him, just like she did some months ago.

"Barb, we can't. Tomorrow could be too late. Listen, if it makes you feel better... I promise I'm just gonna talk to him." He assured with that sincere look Barb has always trusted.

"All right." She agreed after letting out a soft sigh, thinking that maybe he was right.

Then he lovingly hugged her like he was saying good bye, but trying to make her feel better too. She wrapped his neck with both arms and rested her head on his chest. She wanted to wake up from this terrible nightmare that her life has become, but this was not a nightmare. She didn't tell him at that moment, but that hug was all she needed to get it all straight in her head.

"Be right back." He assured her right before turning around to leave the office.

And as he ran through the hallways of the Hero League, he couldn't help but feeling bad for lying to his wife like that, because he perfectly knew that his plan was not just having a conversation with Max. After he walked up the stairs that would lead him to the top of the main building, he took a deep breath and opened the emergency exit.

He walked with a determined look as he zipped up his brown leather jacket. Once he reached the border of the building, he leaned a little bit to take enough impulse, and in the blink of an eye he flew out at the highest speed, leaving a powerful expansive wave behind that caused a mess all around the attic, as his silhouette disappeared among the clouds.

Back in the office, Evelyn grabbed some papers from the table and hand them to a girl with short hair. She was wearing an elegant office suit, and despite of all of the things she has witnessed during the meeting, she has remained silent until now.

"Thanks for your help Miss Ashford. Now, could you give us a minute?" Evelyn requested without losing her semblance.

"Of course President." She respectfully agreed, and then turned to face Barb with a soft smile: "It was a honor to meet you Electress, and once again thank you for your autograph." She thanked while shacking her hand.

"My pleasure, dear. See you later." Barb replied, smiling her back.

Soon after, this attractive red haired girl walked out of the meeting room and went to the office door to get back to her workstation. Barb and Evelyn decided to wait for Hank to come back, so Barb seated on one of the chairs around the table and grabbed her phone, just in case he called. In the other hand, Evelyn walked to the window and stood right there, just staring at the big city.

"Looks like you have a new fan." She suddenly said, making Barb smile.

"I never thought there was such ability as technopathy. I've heard of hackers before but she... She's on a different level." Barb emphasized after seeing the power of that girl that was her daughter's classmate once.

"I know, she not only can communicate with all kind of machines, she's also capable of hacking even the most complex and secure system on the planet, in just a few minutes. Not even the Pentagon would be safe from her. We're so lucky to have her on our side." She seriously admitted, crossing her arms.

"That's true. Did you know she was friends with Phoebe? She told me once how she helped her with an investigation. God, I just hope Max accepts to come here soon, it'll be good for him to see a well-known face." She stated while lowering her gaze, all thoughtful.

Barb has been talking a lot about her twins lately, but couldn't help it. Evelyn knew she has gone through the worst pain a mother can suffer; losing one of her children. That's why she tried to put herself in Barb's place by imagining Dark Slaughter has killed Simone instead of Phoebe, and didn't like what she saw. Soon she felt the need to confess something she has been thinking about all this time.

"You know... now that I'm thinking, maybe your son was really mad when he said all those things..." Evelyn tried to explain, but Barb rushed to respond.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to say that." Barb assured, trying to justify the questionable actions of her son.

"No, let me finish. He was right about something; I shouldn't have sent them to that energy plant without a support team. They've already been in worst situations before but... That was my mistake. Ever since that day I can't stop thinking if what happened to your daughter was actually an accident, or if it was my fault for assigning your children to this dangerous mission." She confessed while turning around to face her.

Barb was able to see on her face what she first saw on Max after the tragic events from Black Friday; guilty. She knew how strong she was, but didn't want her to go through the same path that her son was going through, so she tried to help her.

"It wasn't your fault. I admit that Hank and I were really mad at you at first, but we realized this is just what that monster would've wanted, and if there's someone who is responsible for this tragedy, that's him." She assured her with a serious expression on her face.

"I know, it's just... I had to say it. Listen Barbara, I know Max is not a bad person, but now he needs your help more than ever. You know him better than me and you know he won't stop until finding Dark Slaughter, but if he gets to him before we do, no one's gonna be able to protect him, not even me." Evelyn warned her with a concerned look.

"That's not gonna happen. We're gonna help him get over Phoebe's death." Barb stated with confidence in her voice. "I'm sure they're having a nice conversation right now." She added with a smile on her face.

 **Delta Tower, Hiddenville's Urban Zone.** **  
 **09:35 AM****

"Max open the door!" Hank furiously yelled after knocking the door several times.

He tried to be patient and wait for him to open the door, but as the minutes passed he realized that was not gonna happen, so he began to yell at him from the outside. Some of the neighbors opened their doors to see who was making all that noise, but they quickly closed them when Hank stared at them, as if challenging.

In the other hand, Max was in the living room hanging a punching bag to use it as a target. He was about to shoot when he heard someone knocking at the door, but didn't even bothered to go there. A couple minutes later a familiar voice could be heard, confirming his suspicions. He just ignored his father and continued with the test, while his cell phone was recording everything from a shelf.

 _"All right... Let's see."_ He told to himself after turning on the gauntlet.

Then he aimed his right hand and extended it to shoot a bright energy blast that destroyed the punching bag in an instant, leaving a bunch of burned pieces all around the floor. Max was very pleased after seeing the destructive power of his weapon with his own eyes. He couldn't wait to use it on the person that has ruined his life.

When his father heard that noise he decided it was far enough, so using just one hand he pushed the door and broke all of the locks, leaving some pieces on the floor. Once he walked in Max turned to face him very angry.

He saw Max in the middle of the living room with that thing in his hand, so he immediately lifted one of the furniture from the entrance and used it to block the door, trying to keep away any curious neighbor around. Once he turned around, Hank found with his son furiously was walking to him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You broke the locks!" Max shouted out after seeing what he did with the door.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that!" Hank scolded him, rising up the voice and pointing a finger at him. "You have any idea of what you've done?" He seriously asked, very angry.

Max didn't realize during the transmission, but after being in front of his father he noticed he looked a lot more different now, because after returning to the League he decided to spend months working out, just to be prepared to face Dark Slaughter one day. Max didn't say anything about it, all he did was trying to control his rage.

"Listen... I don't like to be expelled from the League more than you, but there's nothing I can do about it." Max stated, not giving it too much importance. "I gotta focus on more important things now, like hunting that monster down." He added as he walked to the window, turning his back on him.

"Son you can't go after him alone. You have no powers, he will kill you." He tried to warn his son, with a concerned voice.

"Not with my new weapon." He replied while showing the repulsor gauntlet, without even turning around to see him. "When I shoot him with this thing, Evelyn's gonna need a dozen of coroners to put his pieces together. If you don't believe me just take a look on the floor." He stated, pointing at the pieces of the mannequin. "Oh and don't worry... I'll call the League to tell them where to sweep." He added right after.

Hank was astonished after hearing that. His rage was understandable because no matter how many times he tried to deny it, he knew how much he loved his sister and clearly her death has affected him more than the others. But now his attitude was getting more worrying than before, and he wanted to let him know.

"Listen to what you're saying, that's not you." Hank tried to convince him, as he carefully walked to him. "Think about Phoebe, is this what she would have wanted?" He asked him while putting one hand on his shoulder.

"She would have wanted to live!" Max shouted out, turning around immediately and taking his father's hand off of him, making him walk backwards.

He has never seen him this mad before, not even in his old days as a villain. His eyes were full of hate, rage, but above all, pain. He wanted to help him but didn't know how, and for the way his son was reacting right now, Hank was pretty sure he wouldn't listen to anything he got to say but yet, he tried again.

"Max, you're not alone. Come with me, we'll talk about it." Hank tried to persuade him, fearing things could get worst if he let him keep on this path.

"Not now dad, I'm busy. You already know the way out." He cynically replied, turning his back on him once again.

"Son, If you could..." He insisted, but Max didn't let him finish.

"Get out!" He yelled again without even looking at his father's reflection on the window.

That rude answer was the drop that spilled the glass because in less than a second, Hank approached to him and firmly grabbed him by the arm. He didn't care if he got mad at him anymore because at this point, all he wanted to do was taking him to the Hero League, even against his will.

"You're going with me, whether you want it or not." He assured him with an authoritarian voice as he dragged him to the door, perfectly knowing he would resist.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Max shouted out in rage, since he never thought his father would resort to this just to force him to go with him.

They began to struggle in front of the living room, without even caring about the neighbors anymore. Max was angrier than before and was trying to break free with all his strengths, but it was almost impossible to run away from a person with that power. Hank was angry too but he really tried his best not to hurt his son while holding his arm.

Soon Max was able to stop his walk and started to hit his arm, in the hope of escape from that powerful grip, but it was useless. Hank didn't feel any of those hits, but just by seeing his son throwing them, was enough for him to hesitate for a second if he was actually doing the right thing. That's how Max took advantage of the situation.

"I said let me go!" He shouted out with a deep voice as he tried to push his father with the right hand.

But at that very moment, the gauntlet got shot by accident and a powerful blast of energy was released from his palm and hit Hank right in the chest, violently throwing him against the window behind, which got broken in hundreds of pieces that fell on the visitor parking lot.

When the blast stopped, Hank was several feet away from the window, hovering with the help of his power as he saw the hole on his jacket. He seemed to be fine after receiving such a powerful shot, and even if there was no injuries on his skin, that didn't prevent him from feeling a little sored right after, and put one of his hands on his chest.

Max couldn't believe what he just did. He totally forgot he was still wearing the gauntlet during the struggling, and felt terrible for seeing his father like that, but it was too late. Hank was looking at him straight to his eyes with an expression he only remembered seeing one time. It was the same expression he saw after he introduced himself as a super villain, eight years ago, the night he froze the house.

He didn't know what to do, he simply stood there waiting for him to say anything, but Hank was speechless. After some seconds Max felt like infinite, he finally broke the ice:

"I... I didn't..." He tried to say but couldn't end his sentence.

Soon Hank started to get away from the building without taking his eyes off of him. There was disappointment in his eyes, but he couldn't blame him. What hurt him the most was seeing his son so determined to end with a man's life, and the worst thing is that he didn't even seem to feel bad about it.

And after letting out a deep sigh, he knew there was nothing he could do to stop him, so he slowly turned around in mid air and flew out of there without looking back, leaving Max at the end of the broken window, feeling an immense regret for everything he has done in less than a day, as he saw his father disappearing on the horizon.

 **Fly-By-Night Cafe, Metroburg.** **  
 **July 30, 2023, Sunday.**  
 **02:05 PM****

Two weeks after the Delta Tower incident, Evelyn and her team were getting close to find the man who killed Phoebe, because thanks to Abigail Ashford they could finally get a clue, and although there was no guarantee of finding him, it was enough to track his right hand; Chameleon.

After Billy and Nora completed their training at the League, they were temporary assigned to protect Hiddenville, as Hank and Barb started to lead a team of heroes conformed by Simone Kickbutt, Santiago Hernández, Keely Greer and Chester Sullivan. They'd have to investigate everything about the clue Ashford has found.

On the other hand, Max continued improving his repulsor gauntlet to the point of controlling the power of its shots. Now that nobody was around to interfere with his plans, he could focus on making all the tests he needed. He even started to build another device that could be very helpful once he has found his nemesis.

After being expelled from the League he tried to hack their database again, but this time he couldn't do it. It was like they had someone constantly watching their servers, because every time he took down one of the firewalls a new one appeared. Soon it was clear for him who might be the person behind all this, so he came up with an idea.

He didn't take much time to find Abigail Ashford on Chirper, so he tried to contact her a few days ago. That's how they agreed to meet up at the Fly-By-Night Cafe on Metroburg, Sunday evening. Max drove the black Pontiac for several hours to get there, and even with the very heavy traffic he managed to get just in time.

The place was located a couple blocks away from Heroe's Take-Care, so it was very common to see some students hanging around, but during summer vacations only a few persons were in the tables. The inner side was nothing extraordinary, they had a minimalist design of white and brown tones, and a soft pop music could be heard all around the place.

Max was holding his phone with both hands. He seemed to be doing something very important since his arrival, but once he has done he blocked it and put it face down on the table, right next to the cappuccino he ordered to kill time. There were some TV's airing Metroburg Super News, but he didn't pay attention to them and preferred to look around, waiting to see something different.

It wasn't the first time he went to that cafe, because he and Phoebe used to spend a lot of time with their friends there or just the both of them during their study sessions. Not even two years have passed since the last time he came, but they felt like a hundred years for him. Without a doubt, that place has brought some memories back to him.

Everything looked just like he remembered, including the blue wall next to him. It was filled with pictures of all the famous Heroes that had visited the place over the years, but he didn't remember there were so many. As he took a sip of his cup, he started to look at them carefully.

But among them all there was one picture of his parents with some of their old friends from College, and so another one of Evelyn Kickbutt and her husband. Max couldn't help but taking the time to look at the last one, because he has never seen Evelyn in her college years before. Suddenly a sweet voice brought him back from his thoughts:

"Max? I could barely recognize you with that beard. By the way, sorry I'm late, there was a fire two blocks away from here and the traffic was horrible." A young red haired woman suddenly apologized, placing one hand on his shoulder.

That technopath girl who helped his sister to discover Link's infidelity on their graduation day, has finally come. Max perfectly knew there was no other person capable of blocking his attacks but her, and since she was a friend of Phoebe he thought that maybe she could help him in his quest.

"Yeah, that's what they all say lately. Oh and don't worry, I know how chaotic this city can be." Max responded, greeting her with a soft smile. "But please, sit down." He added as he stood up to move her chair.

"Thank you." She said, smiling back.

After taking a closer look, he noticed she looked just like he remembered. She was wearing a white buttoned shirt, dark colored jeans, a pair of black converse and her classic horn-rimmed glasses. Only her hair looked a little different because unlike the ponytail she used during class, now she had an elegant haircut that favored her a lot.

"You know... I always liked to sit here. All those pictures are just... inspiring. Oh By the way, I was in this reunion at the headquarters some days ago and I could finally meet your parents. They're awesome." She told him very excited, as she placed her purse on the table, close to his phone.

"Thank you. I'm sure mom was very happy to know one of Phoebe's friends." Max replied as he remembered what happened last year, with a serious look.

"I'm so sorry about your sister. I couldn't go to her funeral because I was on a mission in Toronto, and when I found out what happened... It was too late." Abigail explained with a sad expression on her face.

"It's okay. I understand." He answered, trying to make her feel better.

He only had a couple classes with her, and the few times they saw each other out of the campus were thanks to Phoebe. That's how he got to knew her better, and even when there was a time when he felt attracted to her, he just needed to see a smile of his twin to forget about all the other girls in the College, including Abby.

"So... What was so important?" She asked him, taking him by surprise.

"Well... I need your help. I know you're an expert on hacking advanced systems, and capable of finding persons no matter where they're hiding, so I wanted to know if you could find someone for me." Max requested, hoping she could do the same she did for Phoebe some years ago.

"Sure, is this a girl from high school?" She asked with a mischievous smile, believing he just wanted to find an ex-girlfriend.

"Not exactly." He said while looking for something in his old backpack. "I need you to find... this person." He added, handing a folder with a case file inside.

There was a Z-Force logo on the top of it, and the first thing she saw after opening was a picture attached with a clip. Her emerald eyes went wide open the moment she saw the person he wanted to find.

It was a strange guy with a threatening look. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties and had a several days beard, brushy eyebrows, a big scar that covered most of his face, and dark brown eyes that were cold as the ice. There was no name written on the paper, just a well-known a.k.a.

"Dark Slaughter? You want me to find Dark Slaughter?" She asked astonished, unable to believe his request.

"He was the one who killed Phoebe, I gotta find him." Max assured her with a determined look.

"I know what he did, I read your report. Max, I'm sorry but I can't help you with this. President Kickbutt strictly forbid us to talk about this assignment, especially with you." Abigail confessed, putting the folder on the table. "Actually we shouldn't even be talking right now, but I came here because you're my friend." She added right away, looking straight to his eyes, hoping he could understand.

"Abby please, you're the only one who can help me. I've been looking for this bastard for months and I have nothing. I already tried to scan all the cameras of the city to find his face with no succeed. I even tried to hack the League's servers to see if they know something I don't, but I can't access their database anymore." He said with desperation in his eyes.

"Was that you?" She immediately asked, after remembering all those exhaustive hours she spent in front of her computer blocking his attacks.

He didn't have time to justify his actions in front of her. He was so desperate to find that murder that he totally forgot something very important; her loyalty to the Hero League was almost as big as Phoebe's, and if there was something he remembered from his combat trainings, was how good she was following orders. But yet, he insisted.

"Listen... Maybe she was your friend, but Phoebe was my sister... My twin. If you help me with this I swear no one will ever know it was you. Please." Max begged her, making the girl low her gaze, not knowing what to say.

"It's just... I can't Max, I'd be risking my place in the Hero League. My parents could barely pay the College, imagine what would they say if they knew I lost my cape in less than two years." Abby confessed after letting out a deep sigh. "All I can tell you is that we're finding that murder very soon, and your sister will have the justice she deserves." She assured him with an effusive voice.

That's when Max knew she was hiding something, he could see it in her eyes. Just like Phoebe, she had a funny way to pretend nothing was happening, so after listening to her answer, he realized that there was nothing he could do to convince her, so he decided to stop insisting.

"I understand." He said with resignation in his voice, as he grabbed the folder from the table to put it in his backpack.

He was about to change the subject, but all of a sudden his phone started vibrating. He quickly grabbed it and unlocked it by sliding his thumb on the screen. When he saw what it was he immediately stood up, taking his backpack at the same time.

"Hey something came up... I gotta go but thanks for coming, I really appreciate it." He added while hanging the backpack around his shoulder and put his cell phone in the pocket. "See you later." He waved at her, leaving a couple bucks on the table for the waitress.

"Sure. And once again... I'm sorry." Abby insisted very ashamed for not being able to help him, but she only received a soft smile from him.

Then he turned around and walked to the exit door without looking back. Max was alone in his quest one more time, but for some reason he was not upset about it, and as he opened the door he took his phone out of the pocket.

He was about to get out of there when he took one last look at the table where the red haired girl was. She wouldn't be able hear him from such a long distance, but couldn't help to apologize for what he just did behind her back.

"No Abby... I'm sorry." Max said with an inaudible voice, right before crossing the door.

On the screen of his phone, there was a bunch of code lines indicating the progress of an app he installed. It has been executing some commands through the WiFi connection, and the last line read:

 _"Downloaded files: 100%"_

 **District port, New York City.** **  
 **September 22, 2023, Friday.**  
 **09:47 PM****

Things got complicated for Evelyn since the all the thing about the robber Max left in a coma went public, and the disappearance of the one they all knew as "the Hunter" just made people drop their trust in superheroes. However, the crime in Hiddenville got raised again just like it did after Thundergirl's death.

That's why people felt a big relief when they noticed there were two new heroes patrolling the city, and even with divided opinions about them, most of the citizens preferred to trust in two registered heroes from the League working with Hiddenville Police Department, than having to bear with the crime on the streets.

Billy and Nora were doing their best during the nights, but helping their parents in Dark Slaughter's search was consuming a lot of time, so Evelyn assigned them to protect Hiddenville full time, as Hank, Barb and the new team kept investigating all the clues Abigail Ashford was able to find.

Her investigation lead them to Chameleon, who has been sheltering in an old apartment near the limits of Kansas. Simone and Santiago were sent to keep an eye on him for several days until they found out where he used to meet with a group of at least 20 persons, all of them with tactical clothing and high caliber weapons.

Soon they installed some advanced GPS in all of their vehicles, that way they could spy on them every minute and know their exact location. Abby was the one who watched them all day long and spent weeks following their steps, either she was in the headquarters or her apartment, and registered all she saw in the data base.

In a few days she detected all of the vehicles have started to move out of the town in groups of two, so she followed the trucks all the way to New York City, and stopped in an abandoned warehouse near the ports. Hank, Barb and the rest of the team got prepared to go there as soon as possible, because one of the satellites detected a mysterious person walking outside of that place.

That Friday night the six heroes arrived to the big apple in a helicopter that landed miles away from there, in a secured perimeter where they would find a Hummer H2 ready for Hank to drive them all to the city ports. When they got there he parked some streets away from the warehouse, waiting for the right moment to attack.

All of the team, were carrying an earpiece to establish satellite communication with Evelyn and Abby, as they prepared to see everything thanks to the micro-cameras installed on the front of their masks. With the exception of Santiago, they all got three doses of the regenerative formula that Max and Phoebe carried that tragic day. Evelyn didn't want to make the same mistake.

"All right, we're in the ports. Waiting for instructions." Hank reported after turning off the vehicle's engine.

 _"Yeah, I can see you. Now, according to the satellite the six trucks are parked 300 yards away from your position. You can go silently through the adjoining warehouses, I just scanned the area and didn't find any cameras so they won't see you coming."_ Abby explained them as she saw the six red dots on the satellite image.

"Got it, we'll get there in 10 minutes." Barb responded, holding her blue mask with both hands.

 _"Before you go, don't forget to inject one doses of the formula I gave you."_ Evelyn reminded all of them.

"Sure, over and out." Hank agreed, right before turning off his microphone.

None of them seemed to have something to say, they just shared some nervous looks with the partner next to them. They knew the battle would be so dangerous but tried to stay calm in this situation. Simone and Santiago were seated behind Thunderman and Electress, while Keely and Chester were in the last seats of the vehicle.

They were all wearing their super suits, but unlike the fragile fabrics they've been using since they got their capes, these were reinforced with a special kevlar layer that even heavy, it was enough to protect them from sharpened knifes or firearms, something Evelyn regretted not doing with Max and Phoebe's suits before.

The designs looked a little different regarding of the originals, that apart from the darker colors that gave them a completely different appearance, but no matter if none of those suits could be compared with Max's Thundertanium armor, anything was better than using spandex.

"So... What's the plan?" Santiago suddenly asked, just to break the ice.

"We run to the warehouse, take down the door and hit anything that moves." Hank replied without going into details.

"Sounds good. Maybe I and Thunderman should go first, that way anyone's life will be risked. What do you say?" Santiago suggested the team, since he perfectly knew it was better if they hurt someone that could heal, just like him.

"They'll probably have high caliber weapons. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Barb warned him with a concerned voice.

"Don't worry, in all these months I've discovered a little more about my powers. Now I have a better control over my regeneration, so it won't be a problem." He stated while sharing a soft smile with Simone.

Hank and Barb have been working with them just a few weeks, but during that time they have made a good team. Now Evelyn was sure she made the right decision. At first she didn't want to involve her daughter in such dangerous missions like this, because she was scared to go through the same pain Barb went through, but she had to do it.

After all those complaints and demands she received due to Max's actions in the last months, this was her only chance to prove society that they could still trust in super heroes. But there were some words she hasn't forgotten since then: _"If Phoebe's death is because we blindly followed your stupid plans"_.

"Sounds good. We could use that as a distraction to take them by surprise and get to them from the ceiling." Keely said, since she perceived Hank and Barb were not very convinced with Santiago's suggestion.

"Right, the element of surprise always works. Keely and I will get in warehouse to your signal." Chester added, supporting his girlfriend's idea.

"It's a good idea, but I won't let any of you go alone. You're all going through the main door, right behind me and Santiago. Normally I wouldn't risk another heroes' life like that but due to the circumstances... We have no choice." Hank stated, knowing they probably won't have another opportunity to capture Dark Slaughter, but he didn't want to lose anyone there.

Keely and Chester were hesitating to agree with his strategy, but they understood the position he was right now. He lost his daughter less than a year ago, so they thought it was normal if he tried to keep them safe at all coast, so they decided to stick to the plan. After all, their squad leader was no one else but Thunderman.

"All right, we'll do that." Chester said, nodding at the same time as Keely.

"Oh by the way... They won't only attack with firearms, this guy has all of Phoebe's powers, including his own plasmakinesis. Do you think that can hurt you, San?" Hank asked the older member of the team, because even when he knew what his power was, he still feared for the safety of the team.

"I've been in the crossfire of endless shootings between Mexican cartels. AK-47 burst fires, grenade explosions, rocket launchers... Trust me, I can take it all."

 **Mile 33,** **near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **09:52 PM****

Far away from there, a car was driving down the dark highway that connected Hiddenville with Metroburg. The halogen lights were illuminating a big part of the road and the engine roar could be heard at the distance. It was a black sport car with a GTO logo on the front grill. The driver was Max Thunderman.

After his well-planned meet up with Abby, he started to work with the data he hacked from her phone and didn't take long before he could access the whole information she has been investigating since she came back from Canada. There were months of planning, surveillance and other high importance details Evelyn would've never revealed.

Now everything was in the palm of his hand. This was the closest he has come to find Dark Slaughter in months, so he had to be very careful to hide his steps during his hackings, and avoid being detected by his old schoolmate. In just a few days he managed to find a way to access the satellite Abby was surveilling, without her noticing.

When Max saw the tracking signals were moving away from Kansas, he knew this was probably his only chance to go after them, so he installed a virus in the system to clone each one of the GPS signals hidden in the trucks and sent them to the ports in New York, but kept the originals for him to follow.

After some days of keeping track of the signals they finally stopped moving, and Max got really surprised after seeing the real place where the six red dots have stopped. He was using a very advanced satellite, so the coordinates couldn't be wrong. That place was the old energy plant located on mile 33, near the limits of Metroburg, the same place where Phoebe died ten months ago; it was Volt-N-Save

When Max saw the current day records, he found out a helicopter has departed from the League's headquarters to New York City. The registered names of the crew members were: Thunderman, Electress, Kick Girl, Vordigan, Tempest and Spike. The travel was authorized by Evelyn Kickbutt six hours ago. His distraction plan was a complete succeed.

His parents and the new team would be hundreds of miles away from there, and when they found out what he has done it would be too late. No one could stop his revenge now, not Evelyn, nor the police, not even his parents. This was all he has been fighting for and was not going to stop until killing the man who ruined his life.

And as he drove by that long highway, he suddenly felt a soft breeze around his neck. He thought it was just the wind but he forgot that all the windows were closed and kept driving. He was getting close to the plant so he started to slow down the vehicle until stopping it completely.

Instead of using the car, Max was planning to walk through the undergrowth and attack the base, so he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat and got off the car. He was already using his Thundertanium suit so all he had to do was putting on the gauntlets, but all of a sudden something catched his attention.

There was a big tree right in front of the car. It was an oak of at least 40 feet tall and if it wasn't for the car's lights, it would have been unnoticed. He kept staring at that tree for some seconds until he realized it was the same place where he and Phoebe parked the car last time.

Those tragic memories were getting back to his mind, but he had to be strong and focus. The next thing he did was placing the backpack on the hood and began looking for something.

Once he found it he put on the left gauntlet first and then grabbed the other, and as he prepared the adjusting mechanism, he turned around to look at that building. His eyes were full of rage, and his expression has changed completely. The moment has come.

"This ends today." He said with a determined voice.

 **District port, New York City.** **  
 **10:01 PM****

With their super suits and masks ready, the team got off the truck and ran to the abandoned warehouses. They were all listening to Abby's voice thanks to the earpiece she gave them, and even if the satellite wouldn't let her see through the buildings, the signal in their phones were enough to lead them.

 _"Still no motion detected."_ Abby informed them the moment they entered in the first warehouse.

"Got it." Hank replied as he ran and dodged several objects around the place, along with Santiago.

They were both running in front just like they agreed back in the truck. Barb and the others were following them several feet behind, but no matter how hard they tried to be quiet, it was inevitable for them to spread some of the boxes as they made their way through the warehouse. They were about to get in the next one when they heard a voice:

 _"You're 200 yards away. Two more warehouses."_ Abby said after checking up the distance on the map.

"All right." Santiago replied as he ran without stopping.

When they made it to the side door of the building, Hank ripped the door from its hinges trying not to make so much noise, otherwise the mission would be risked. With the path completely cleared, they left the warehouse and kept running through the parking lot. At that moment Evelyn tried to contact one of them, without the others being able to know.

"Santiago, can you hear me?" She asked him before they get to the door.

"Yeah. What do you need?" He responded after listening to her calling.

"Listen, I don't know if I'll be able to ask this later so, here it is: When you get in the warehouse, take care of Simone."

She would never admit it, but Evelyn was really scared of losing her only daughter in the battle. She perfectly knew she was carrying three doses of the regenerative formula, but that wasn't enough for her. That day at Pheobe's funeral, she saw Barb was devastated for the loss of her daughter, and didn't go through the same pain.

That's why she wanted to make sure that Simone would be fine, and thought there was no one else that'd protect her as much as her boyfriend, the guy her husband hasn't fully approved.

"Of course ma'am." He firmly accepted her request.

 **Volt-N-Save,** **near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **10:00 PM****

Back in the energy plant, Max was standing right in front of the building's main entrance, the one that got destroyed during his last visit, and now looked partially fixed with some bricks and wood planks, in a desperate attempt to hide whatever they were doing inside there.

No one seemed to be watching the perimeter so he decided to use this on his favor. He didn't even care if he was going straight to a trap, he just wanted to get in and find Dark Slaughter at all cost. But suddenly a strange feeling stalked him. He didn't know what it was but there was no turning back, it was now or never.

The first thing he did was turning on the repulsor gauntlet and adjusted the power level to the middle. Then he aimed the arm and without hesitating, threw a powerful punch that completely destroyed the improvised wall, leaving a soft dust cloud and a bunch of debris all around the place.

 _"This is for you, Phoebe."_ He said in his mind as he walked in the parking lot.

The noise was so loud that in just a few seconds he saw five guys with black tactical clothes and ski masks running out of the building, and aimed their AK-47 straight to him. Now he had five red dots slightly moving around his torso, but Max didn't look worried. He just stared at those guys and waited for the right moment to attack.

After seeing them walking up to him, he slightly touched a button from his suit and a folding Thundertanium helmet slided up from a hidden case around his neck, just in time to protect himself from the shots he began to receive. Now he was approaching to them like nothing was happening, and all those high caliber bullets were just bouncing off his body.

"Stand back!" One of them yelled at the others, and they immediately took a step backwards, while still shooting.

He could barely feel each one of the impacts on his body, but even if they couldn't penetrate the armor, that didn't stop them from making some scratches all around the suit. He kept walking in the middle of those loud and dangerous rounds and when they finally stopped, he saw the guys pulling out a new magazine but before they could even use it, they heard an altered deep voice that stopped them in their tracks:

"My turn."

And in the blink of an eye the place was covered with a blinding blue light. Max was finally using his gauntlet and without thinking about anything else, he shot an energy blast on each one of those men and violently threw them against the front side of the building, leaving a wide crack on the wall and a deep smoking wound on their chest, which made them drop the guns immediately.

Now the five guys were lying on the floor as their blood spread all over the cartridges of their own bullets. The blue face shield on Max's helmet was an advanced and more resisting version of his tactical glasses, and when he scanned all of the bodies he saw they didn't have any vital signs, so he went on his way and walked inside of the building.

He walked to the middle of the lobby and didn't take longer for the reinforcements to arrive, so they quickly aimed their weapons, carefully surrounding him. Now there were at least eight persons around him, all of them with the same attire than the first group. Most of them were carrying AR-15 rifles and just a few of them had Infinity pistols.

"Don't move!" One of them ordered while getting close to him, without putting down his gun.

Max was sure he could easily handle them, so when the guy was close enough, he grabbed him by the neck and lifted him in the air until he wasn't able to hold his weapon anymore. At that very moment the rest of them opened fire against him but it was useless, they could only see how the bullets fell on the floor.

The guy he was holding could barely moan from the pain he was feeling deep in his throat. He tried to break free with both hands and was able to kick him in the stomach, but that armor was so tick to even hurt him. Max tightened his grip around his neck and, but his choking gasp was overshadowed by the guns.

The guy was running out of air and Max was aware of this, but didn't seem to care about it.

"Let him go!" They repeatedly shouted out without stopping their rounds.

Then two of them ran up to Max and tried to help their friend, but using his super strength Max pulled them off of him by throwing them across the lobby, and once they got critically smashed against those old machines, it was practically impossible for any them to survive the fall.

After seeing this, the rest of them kept shooting as they tried to approach him to save their partner, but once they ran out of bullets, there was a time where they could only hear the cracking sound of a neck getting broken, and the next thing they saw their friend falling on the floor with the head spinned in a horrible way.

Some of them tried to recharge their weapons but it was too late, because in the blink of an eye Max started to shoot his repulsor gautlet at the highest level. The lobby got completely illuminated every time they got impaled through their chest, and the room was filled with heart-rending screams as they fell one by one.

Soon the last two guys standing dropped their guns and tried to run away from him, but they couldn't go any further, because Max pulled two knives out of his armor and throw them in the back of their head, killing them instantly. Right after that he could see two blood puddles spreading all over the floor.

"See you in hell." He muttered after looking around him.

The lobby seemed to have been dyed with crimson paint, because there was blood everywhere. It was like a war zone, one that Max never imagined to be part of. But among all of those bodies covered in blood, he was able to see a blood stain on the floor, one that seemed to be dried up a long time ago.

He couldn't be wrong; it was the same place where Phoebe died in his arms, and that old stain was nothing else but the blood she lost while he was trying to save her. There were lots of bad memories in that place but no matter how hurting they were he had to be focus, so he turned around and ran up the stairs.

 **District port, New York City.** **  
 **10:05 PM****

In the meantime, the team has finally arrived at the warehouse where they would find Dark Slaughter and his men. Soon the smell of the sea filled their nostrils as their capes waved with the fall breeze, except for Simone and Santiago, because they never liked the idea of using their capes on the missions.

Everything was so quiet in the port that was really hard for them to believe they were about to fight like twenty criminals in a row. When Hank was in front of the main door he remembered Evelyn's orders, so he quickly grabbed one of the doses of the formula and injected it in his neck. The rest of the team started to do the same.

Hank was about to take down the door, when he noticed something weird.

"Wireless, are you sure this is the right place?" He asked after taking a look at the parking lot.

 _"100% positive. Why?"_ Abigail replied, not knowing what he meant.

"Because there's only four trucks here." He stated out before staring at those vehicles. "See?"

 _"Yeah I can see them. That's weird, they're supposed to be six, that's what the satellite is showing."_ Abby explained after looking through his camera. Then she proceeded to check up the signals one more time.

After hacking the satellite, Max got rid of any trace that could indicate someone has been there. Not even Abby was able to know that the six red dots on the map were fake, and no matter how many times she tracked the signals on her computer, they appeared on the same coordinates they already were.

"Maybe the other trucks are inside of the warehouse." Barb suggested, remembering how accurate the GPS from her old minivan could be.

 _"That's a low possibility, this satellite has a precision of 99% so there shouldn't be any margin of error. But even if we were before this 1% I'm sure those guys are still inside there, because I haven't detected any movement for hours."_ She stated, trying to find a logical explanation for what was happening.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Barb added as she looked at Hank straight to his eyes, but then something happened.

A strong burst of wind crossed the whole place and stopped right behind her, making her hair wave aggressively. Barb had a slight suspicion of what just happened but yet she was hoping to be wrong. She quickly fixed her hair and before she could turn around, a very familiar voice was heard.

"Hi. Are we on time?"

Barb immediately turned around just to find with Billy in front of her, with a soft smile on his face. She noticed he was carrying Nora in his arms and they were both wearing their super suits. They were supposed to be protecting Hiddenville during the whole night and if something came up, they'd be called for help.

She was so angry on them but couldn't help to look at them very closely. She realized that all those days where they used to be the small kids of the family, were now in the past. Billy has changed the style of his suit for one with black jeans, just like the one Max used to wear, and Nora was wearing an attire with blue shorts, very similar to Phoebe's.

They reminded her of Max and Phoebe so much that she suddenly believed her beloved twins were together again. She was on the verge of tears, but due to the situation she had to control her feelings. Once she got her mind straight, Barb tried to find out why they disobeyed President Kickbutt, but Hank rushed to scold them:

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" He asked them with a furious tone of voice.

"Relax dad, we're here to help." Billy answered while putting Nora on the floor.

"Absolutely not. I'm taking you to the League headquarters right now." Hank announced with a determined voice, and getting close to them.

Billy and Nora have been listening to their conversations for days. They didn't know all the details of the mission but it wasn't so hard for them to find out the exact place where the team would be sent to, but unlike Max they were not doing this for revenge, all they wanted was to help in the capture of the man who murdered their sister, and were not gonna give up so easily, especially Nora.

"Don't count on it." She seriously said, right after listening to her father's threat.

 _"Hank, there's no time to abort the mission. Your children will have a sanction when this is over, but for now I want you to get inside there and capture those bastards."_ Evelyn commanded him, fearing something bad could happen if they kept waiting.

"All right, President." Hank agreed, trying to concentrate on the mission again. "Let's do this."

And without saying anything else, he walked to the warehouse big door while all the others waited several feet behind. When he got there he looked at Santiago and he nodded to let him know he was ready, so he proceeded to take down the door by throwing a powerful punch that almost put the whole building upside down.

The door fell inside of the warehouse and caused a loud noise that could be heard several blocks away from there, and generated a big dust cloud that covered the whole entrance in just a few seconds. Soon after they walked inside as the rest of the team prepared their powers for the battle.

Barb started to charge her lightings in both hands until they were covered by purple electric arcs. Keely extended her arms and soon she was wrapped by a strong wind that lifted her in the air, and her eyes were shining with an intense blue color. Simone pulled out two Bettetas 92FS and aimed towards the dust.

Chester prepared some of his sharpened spines on both hands and extended them all over his body. Nora made her eyes glare like two red suns, ready to shoot her lasers to anything that moves, and Billy raised both of his arms to the front and spinned them at super speed to dissipate the dust with his tornados.

They never imagined what they would find inside that warehouse.

 **Volt-N-Save,** **near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **10:05 PM****

At the same time, Max was running through the hallways of the building as fast as he could. Some enemies were still on the higher floors but none of them represented a real threat for him, not with the enhanced strength he possessed with his suit, or the destructive power of his ultimate weapon.

Now a loud alarm could be heard all around the building because after the furious attack he performed in the lobby, the other guys immediately mobilized and tried to neutralize him, but there was no way they could know what they were facing, because he easily passed the first three floors and nobody has been able to stop him.

Lots of them tried to fight, shoot, or throw fragmentation grenades at him but everything was useless, his suit was so resisting that it barely got some visible dents. It didn't take long for the heart-rending screams to be heard because once he got to them, there was nothing they could do to defend themselves.

A big amount of flashes could be seen from the outside of the building every time he shot his gauntlet, and when that happened they didn't have any chance to survive to the wound he caused them, but that wasn't all because some of them ended up being thrown out of the windows, inevitably falling to their deaths.

One by one they fell before him, and when he got to the last floor he saw two guys guarding the room at end of the hallway, the same room where he met Dark Slaughter several months ago. When the guys saw Max they started to shoot their weapons, but that didn't stop him and kept running up to them.

"You're death motherfucker!" One of them yelled after noticing the bullets were not working at all.

They immediately dropped their assault rifles and pulled out their military knives. They thought he would run straight through the hallway, but he suddenly started to jump between the walls to take them by surprise, and before they could even blink, their hands were broken and those sharpened blades were lying on the floor cut in half.

Soon they found themselves yelling in pain as they desperately hold their wrists, but the fracture was so deep that only made them suffer even more. At that very moment Max grabbed one of them by the neck and without saying any single word, he threw him across the hallway and smashed him against the wall, leaving his body on the floor.

"No, no, no. Wait...!" The last of them begged, once he understood he was next.

Max didn't even heard what he had to say, he just placed his right palm on his chest and with a hateful expression, shot an energy blast that killed his enemy in just a few seconds, leaving a hole on the wall behind him. After that, Max saw the inert body of that guy falling on the floor, with a non stop bleeding wound.

He looked at the body of the guy he threw before and saw there was blood dripping on the wall. He thought it was safe to continue but he decided to use his visor shield to analyze the bodies anyway. Once he made sure they didn't have any vital signs, he was ready to enter Dark Slaughter's lair, so he turned around immediately.

Now there was just an old metal door standing in the way of his revenge, so without thinking twice he threw a strong punch that tore it from its hinges and made it fly across the room, destroying everything on its way, and once the iron door was lying on the floor, he realized the alarm has stopped.

Everything seemed to be so quiet inside but he had to be alert, so he checked the gauntlet was at the maximum power and carefully walked inside, aiming his right hand to the front. He walked a little bit and analyzed every detail around him. He would've thought the place was empty if it wasn't for a suspicious silhouette in front of the windows, at the bottom of the room.

Those were the same windows he and Phoebe were thrown from after their first encounter with Dark Slaughter. Now they were completely broken, and the moon light was projecting a sinister shadow on the floor, which he followed all the way to its source, where he could finally see this person.

It seemed to be a man wearing a black robe with a hoodie resting on his back. There was a high possibility that this guy was actually Dark Slaughter. Max was almost sure of it but then he remembered something; the Hero League never captured Chameleon, so he had to proceed with caution, since he didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

He didn't have the black-gray mask he wore back in that day, but he looked exactly like him. Max pressed a small button on his left thigh to hide the folding helmet again. He wanted to see his sister's murder with his own eyes before killing him. He kept walking up to him with determination, but suddenly a deep voice stopped him in his tracks:

"Welcome, Max Thunderman."

He kept aiming his repulsor gauntlet at him, trying to predict his next move. Max was full of rancor at this point that all he wanted to do was shooting him to death, but he choose to keep calm and wait for the right moment.

"You've kept me waiting for so long. I guess you've been so busy lately. Between crying all nights and go hunting criminals the months just fly by, right?" He quickly said, trying to tease him.

Soon an uncomfortable silence grew up in the room. The villain realized he wouldn't get an answer so easily, so he decided to use his next card. He knew he'd be so angry for the death of his twin, so after turning around he could finally see the young hero standing in the middle of the room, aiming something he wasn't able to recognize.

"I must say I'm impressed you were able to get here, and without your powers. You've made quite a reputation for yourself with that suit. Just when I thought you'd be still in Metroburg Graveyard, crying over the tomb of your sister." The villain said with a mocking tone of voice. "Or should I say... Girlfriend?" He added right away.

He wanted to kill him. He had never hated anyone so much in all his life. Listening to his words was like witnessing the whole nightmare once again. In his mind, he could barely see Phoebe dying in his arms, without being able to do anything to help her. If this cold blooded murder wanted to torture Max, he was definitely doing it.

"Incest between twins. Well, you two certainly took Game of Thrones to an entirely new level." He kept saying with a cruel smile on his face. "I'd like to know what mommy and daddy would've said about this."

"Shut up!" Max shouted out, full of rage.

His furious answer did nothing more but please the villain. He really enjoyed making him suffer, and just by seeing Max in front of him with a angry expression on his face, was enough for him to believe that all of his efforts were finally paying off. Max could only see how the guy crossed his arms with a sadic smile on his face, which made him even angrier.

His breathing has accelerated considerably. He was about to shoot him but in the middle of his rage, he felt that soft breeze running around his neck again, so he let out a deep sigh and tried to get things straight in his head. Soon after he did something the enemy wasn't expecting; he slowly lowered his arm.

"What the hell are you doing? After all the blood you just spilled down there you're just gonna forget it? Just like that?" He questioned, not understanding what he tried to do.

"No. I came here to kill one person but... Something tells me that's not you." Max responded, taking him by surprise.

At that very moment Max pulled our his last knives from a case in his arm, and threw it at him with all his strengths but he was faster and managed to dodged it by throwing himself to his right, and all they heard was the whistle sound of the sharpened blade flying through the air and getting out the window.

"The real Dark Slaughter wouldn't have to dodge a simple knife." Max assured with a victorious voice, after pointing out the terrible mistake his former recruiter has just made.

"Son of a bitch!" Chameleon shouted out in rage, trying to get up off the floor.

In less than a second he took off the robe and threw it away from him, revealing the same tactical clothes and weapons his other partners had. There was no reason to keep the physical appearance of his leader anymore, so as he walked to Max he started to use his shapeshifting power to change his facial features. His skin was slowly moving like it was made of clay and once the transformation has ended, Max was able to see his true identity one more time.

Max aimed his palm at him after seeing he tried to pull a gun out of the holster around his chest, but suddenly a deep voice interrupted the fight, and forced them to look at those windows at the end of the room. That's when they saw a mysterious man hovering outside the building.

His arms were crossed and was wearing a black rope that waved as the wind blew. Soon his terrific shadow was projected all across the floor. Max looked up at him and quickly noticed he was wearing that black-grey mask, and suddenly those green eyes started to glow when he placed both of his arms on either side of his body.

"You just had one thing to do and now I have to come clean up your mess. That's what I get from sending a boy to do a man's job." Dark Slaughter said while taking off the mask just to let it fall to the parking lot. "I think you'll understand that your services will no longer be required. Right Chameleon?" He added right away.

"No. Wait sir, I can be of use to you. If you let me show you that..." Chameleon rushed to say as he ran to the window in a desperate attempt to convince him.

But the villain didn't let him finish and aimed his right hand at him to immobilize him telekinetically. Chameleon was desperately trying to escape but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even move a finger. He already knew what was going to happen, it was exactly the same thing he did with Hamilton, the guy he replaced last year. All he had left was accepting his fate so he slowly closed the eyes, fearing the worst.

At that very moment Dark Slaughter used his heat breath and started to burn him alive, right in front of Max who was looking at the scene without losing any detail. Soon the guy found himself covered by a scorching fire that was consuming his body in the middle of terrifying screams that echoed all around the place.

Chameleon was able to feel how the flames were melting his skin, which provoked him a horrible pain. It didn't take much time for his screams to stop, and his body was disintegrated completely. Now the man that was formerly known as Dark Slaughter's right hand, was now lying on the floor turned into a pile of ashes that got spread with the wind.

Max took a step backwards the moment he saw Dark Slaughter flying to the border of the window, and once his tactical boots touched the floor, he started to walk to him as he slightly motioned his right hand to telekinetically move the desk out of his way.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me." He confessed without taking his eyes off him. "You know? I thought your friends at the Hero League would find me first but... I guess I was wrong." He added after stopping several feet away from Max. "And now you're here ready to fight me, even when you know I've done terrible things."

"So have I and I'm gonna do them all to you." Max responded with a cold gaze.

A soft smile was drawn on his face to the idea of making him suffer a little more. He had so many powers at this point that he was sure he wouldn't lose before a non supe like him, but after listening to his threat he realized that even without his powers, he managed to get to him before the others did. Now he perfectly knew what he was capable of, and he definitely was not going to underestimate him.

"I know. You killed my entire army just to avenge your sister's death, but in the end... It won't make any difference. I dragged you down to my level, and you turned into a killer. We're not so different after all." He quietly said, as he prepared for the battle by throwing his robe to the floor.

"I'm nothing like you!" Max furiously yelled.

Then he quickly activated his folding helmet and threw a powerful energy blast at Dark Slaughter. The villain tried to stop it by creating a green colored force field with both hands, but right after receiving that powerful blast he was pushed all the way to the window. He wasn't going to give up so easily, so he kept resisting that big amount of energy for some seconds until he was forced to dodge it by throwing himself to his left.

After seeing the blast going out the window, Dark Slaughter felt something weird in his right arm so he lowered his gaze and realized his tactical clothes were torn off, and when he ripped a piece of the jacket to see what was causing this soreness, he saw there was a wound on his forearm.

The moon light seemed to remark the scar on his face, and as he pressed the wound to stop the bleeding, his thick eyebrows got slightly frowned, which gave him an even more intimidating appearance. Then he removed the blood with the other hand and when he saw it in his palm, his face changed completely.

He had never been hurt by a superhero, not to mention by one without powers. He was so mad at that moment that he didn't even care about provoking Max anymore, he just wanted to hurt him with his powers over and over again until seeing him death, so he slowly raised his gaze and looked at him with a deep hate as his eyes started to glare.

Max knew exactly why he was going to do so without double thinking, he threw himself to his right just in time to dodge the dangerous plasma rays he shot from the eyes. After rolling across the floor he tried to shoot his gauntlet again, but before he could even aim, Dark Slaughter made an old generator levitate and threw it out with his telekinesis.

That heavy machine was going straight to him, so didn't have other choice but using his super strength to throw a powerful punch and destroy it in hundreds of pieces that flew all around the place. Soon after that, they both shot at each other at the same time and caused a huge expansive wave that sent them several feet away from each other.

 **District port, New York City.** **  
 **10:10 PM****

It didn't take much time for Billy to dissipate the dust from the warehouse entrance, and when the team was finally able to get in, they reacted just like Hank and Santiago did, because in one of the corners of that place filled with stacked boxes, there were four middle aged guys playing poker at an old plastic table, like nothing was happening.

There were some cigarette boxes all over the floor, and so a beer mug in the hand of each one of those mans that didn't know what to do after seeing those superheroes breaking in the warehouse. They were all using blue coveralls with a logo of the company they worked for, and they seemed to be there playing for hours. It wasn't that hard for Hank and Barb to realize they were in the wrong place, especially for their confused looks.

"Are they Dark Slaughter's men?" Billy asked when he got close enough.

"Well, unless they're keeping their assault rifles inside of those fish stinking boxes, I don't think so Billy." Simone sarcastically said as she put her guns in the holsters around her thighs.

Without a doubt she has inherited Evelyn's strong personality, because out of all the members of the team she was always the first to tell what she was thinking, no matter what they said. She frequently questioned her mother's decisions, especially those where she tried to keep her away from danger.

She barely accepted to send her instead of Gale Force, and now she was inside of that dirty warehouse, in the mission that could've been the most dangerous in her life, but ended up being an awkward experience. She looked around her and saw hundreds of boxes full of cods, and even if she would've loved to kick some asses that night, she couldn't help but laugh after remembering her mother was seeing everything through her micro-camera.

"Uh... Wireless?" Hank tried to say, perfectly knowing Abby would be seeing the whole thing on her computer.

 _"Yeah, I can see it. And no, I have no idea what's going on."_ She girl replied in a rude way, because the sole idea of her making a mistake on tracking the GPS signals was unacceptable for her. _"It's just... I don't understand, they should be here."_ She added in a worried tone of voice.

"Take it easy, Wireless. Maybe it's just an error from the satellite system." Barb said trying to calm her down, because after listening what she said in her earpiece, she noticed some stress in her voice and that could be harmful to the mission. "Just check it up again, I'm sure you're gonna find out what's going on." She added.

 _"I'll try it. Hold on please."_ She answered after taking a deep sigh.

Then she began checking up the whole satellite system from the beginning, because even when it was pretty obvious that the bad guys were not there, there was still the possibility of the satellite has made a mistake and the true warehouse was any close there, and that was exactly what she was going to find out.

As they waited for her updates, Keely and Chester wanted to make sure this was not a trap, so they started to take a look on the place. They even opened some of the boxes around but couldn't find anything, just several tons of fish ready to be delivered to the addresses written on the tags.

"You're Thunderman, right? Could you please give me your autograph?" One of the workers asked Hank while holding a pen and a notebook for him to sign it. He looked very excited for being in front of his favorite hero.

Soon after signing with his super hero identity, they could all hear Abby's voice in their earpieces, ready to announce something none of them would've ever imagined:

 _"Listen, I already know what happened. I detected some_ _anomalies in one of the nodes of our_ _network, so I scanned all of the IP addresses and everything seemed just fine, but when I analyzed the main storage unit I saw there were hundreds of deleted files so I restored them with one of my security softwares, but among all those files I found this rootkit that allowed to pass the protocols..."_ She started to explain while mentally controlling her computer, but someone didn't let her finish.

 _"In English Abby."_ Evelyn interrupted, since she couldn't understand anything.

 _"Basically... We were hacked. Someone installed this software in the League's servers to get unlimited access to our system, and managed to go undetectable."_ She explained, leaving all of the others astonished.

 _"I thought our system had the best security in the entire world. How did this happen?"_ Evelyn asked her, unable to believe what she was hearing.

The situation seemed to get more and more complicated. Now Abby was completely sure that the mission has failed, but she still had to find the real location of the trucks. She was so concentrated on the computer screen that could barely hear to Evelyn's question, so she tried to answer as fast as she could.

 _"I don't know, but as far as I can tell this hacker has been accessing to all of the files and records from our database for months, but what I still can't understand is how he got that kind of access, I mean... Only I have that level of... Oh no."_ She tried to explain but couldn't finish her sentence, because at that moment she remembered something very important.

Lots of memories were getting back to her mind, like a bunch of past scenes playing before her eyes. She seemed to be so lost in her thoughts that President Kickbutt had to talk to her several times, but the girl wasn't even paying attention. Soon Abby was able to hear Evelyn's voice calling for her over and over again.

 _"Ashford? Ashford can you hear me? Ashford!"_ Evelyn shouted out, trying to bring her back from her thoughts with a hint of desperation.

 _"I'm really sorry Super President, this is all my fault. Some days ago I went to see Max and I think..."_ She tried to explain but was interrupted again.

 _"What?! Why the hell did you do that?!"_ She angrily asked.

 _"Because he said he wanted to talk to me about something very important, but now that I'm thinking... Maybe he was the one who hacked our servers. I was carrying my phone that day so he must've found a way to hack it without me noticing. My whole life is in that phone, including my login accounts."_ Abigail stated, feeling so guilty for not being able to see Max's true intentions.

The rest of the team was still listening to the conversation without being able to believe it. They perfectly knew the Hero League hasn't been hacked in the whole history, but were sure about one thing; Abby was not responsible for this.

One way or another, this was just the results of letting Max out of the mission, because if he would've been included from the beginning, maybe none of this would be happening, or at least that's what Hank and Barb were thinking right now. All this time they just tried to protect their son from his own feelings, but instead they forced him to act behind their backs, which finally lead him to sabotage the mission.

"I guess Max is keeping his promise." Hank said after letting out a deep sigh.

"Yeah. I hope it's not too late." Barb added while closing the eyes, unable to hide her concern.

 _"Electress, I just found out the signals I tracked on the ports were just clones, so I'm trying to locate the originals. I almost got them, just need a couple minutes to get rid of the fake ones."_ Abby assured, while using her technopath abilities as fast as she could.

Evelyn has never seen Abigail working so hard before. She was beginning to feel bad for being so rude with her some minutes ago, but there was no time for apologies, they had to find the GPS signals as soon as possible.

With everything they've discovered at this point, it was not necessary to stay in the warehouse, so the team decided to walk out of there and wait for new instructions outside. The wind seemed to be colder than when they arrived, and all they could hear was the distant sound of the buoys close to the port.

Some minutes later they heard Abby's voice again:

 _"All right, I found them. The GPS signals are in Metroburg, in the old energy plant Volt-N-Save. Oh and one more thing... One of our vehicles assigned to Max is like a mile away from there. It's a... Pontiac GTO."_

Hank and Barb shared a concerned look because now they were sure that Max went to fight Dark Slaughter on his own. They knew there was no way he could defeat him without his powers, and were not willing to lose another child in the line of duty, so Hank turned to face his wife to tell her what he was going to do:

"Barb, I have to go." He said while taking both of her hands.

"I know. Just... Be careful." She answered, right before firmly hugging him.

 _"Hank, wait. I have a strike team with the best agents on the way and..."_ Evelyn tried to convince him, but then she heard the cracking noise of Hank's earpiece getting crushed in his hand.

He and Barb knew that fighting Dark Slaughter wouldn't be easy, especially not after all the powers he got, but Hank preferred to risk his own life to save his son. Barb would be destroyed if she lose her husband too, but she perfectly knew this was the only way to bring her son back, and as they tried to say good-bye to each other, they were suddenly interrupted by someone:

 _"Oh crap!"_ Abby exclaimed in astonishment.

"Wireless, what's wrong?" Barb quickly asked, separating from her husband.

 _"The satellite is detecting big emissions of plasma in that place. I think there's an explosion waiting to happen."_ She announced while trying to keep calm.

At that very moment, a sudden burst of wind could be heard right behind their backs, which sucked some of the boxes and papers scattered all over the floor. They immediately turned around to see what it was, but all they could see was Nora desperately yelling:

"Billy, wait!"

"What's going on?" Hank asked immediately.

"Hank, there's an explosion, Billy went so save him. Go!" Barb demanded with an energetic tone of voice.

And in the blink of an eye, Hank leaned forward to take enough impulse and then threw himself into the air. He began to fly with such a high speed he has never reached before, but he also left a tremendous expansive wave after his takeoff, which sent all the others several feet away.

 **Volt-N-Save,** **near the limits of Metroburg.** **  
 **10:10 PM****

Back in the energy plant the fight was so far from over, because after the powerful shockwave they've caused, Max was thrown to the wall behind him, while Dark Slaughter was being send through the window, but despite receiving that strong impact directly to his boy, he managed to use his flight power and keep in the air.

Max took a little bit more to get up and when he finally did, he saw a warning on his shield visor that read 'Damages: 20%' Now there were more visible marks all over his torso, but he was determined to kill him. Once he raised his head he could see Dark Slaughter was getting close to the building, without even stepping on the floor.

"You should be proud of yourself, no one has been able to hurt me until now..." He confessed as he prepared a set of plasma ball in each one of his hands. "But you will be the last one."

And without saying anything else he began to throw several plasma balls with both hands, completely illuminating the room every time he shot one. Max was desperately trying to dodge them without even caring about the multiple burning marks the shots left behind. His attacks seemed to be more powerful than the last time.

Dark Slaughter was still levitating in the middle of the room as he kept throwing big amounts of plasma. Soon he combined them with his lasers and Max had to double his efforts to dodge all of them. There was a moment where he was about to get hit by one of them when he suddenly threw himself to his right, and after taking a better position he was able to shoot his gauntlet.

The villain was forced to stop attacking to elude his blast, which drilled the ceiling in less than a second and left a big smoking hole up there. That's when the villain realized what he tried to do but it was too late to avoid it, because when he looked down he saw Max furiously jumping at him.

Then he got hit in the face and was sent to the border of the window. Max landed some feet away from there and ran to him to try to hit him again, but once he pulled him by the bulletproof vest, Dark Slaughter used his telekinesis to paralyze him in the act.

"What's wrong? Ran out of strength?" He asked with a terrifying smile, and a trail of blood dripping from his mouth.

And without using his hands, he started to exert an incredible pressure over Max's suit, breaking some of the Thundertanium plates, and making him feel a horrible pain that he wasn't able to hide. It didn't take much time for the helmet to show there was 65% of damaged, and after a few seconds the shield visor got broken, forcing Max to close the eyes to avoid getting hurt.

Soon Dark Slaughter made the helmet fly away in several pieces, leaving his face completely exposed. Then he extended his right arm and telekinetically threw Max to the other side of the room. He rolled several times until stopping next to the door he took down after forcing his way there.

This time the fall has affected him more than before, because without the helmet protecting his head he was more vulnerable to all of his attacks, and that's the reason he couldn't see the enemy getting closer. He was so stunned that if it wasn't for the shadow projected by the moon, he wouldn't known how close he was from the enemy

"Where did all those desires of fighting go?" The villain ironically asked.

Max began to get away from him by crawling on the floor with certain difficulty, and just when he was trying to stand up, a tactical boot stepped on his right hand, destroying the repulsor gauntlet completely, and making him yell in pain when he felt the explosion of the shooting mechanism in his hand. Now he wouldn't be able to kill him with that weapon.

After the little explosion, he could see how the rest of his gauntlet was covered with electric arcs until they disappeared in the air, letting out a soft smoke from the fingers. He tried to move his hand but for the pain he was feeling, he understood that some of his fingers must have been broken, so he decided to stop trying.

All of a sudden, Dark Slaughter grabbed him by the neck and lifted him in the air without much effort. Max tried to stop him by firmly pressing his wrist with the other hand, but then he felt how the pressure around his neck has beginning to keep him from breathing.

"I've waited a long time for this." Dark Slaughter expressed with a deep tone of voice, and a sinister smile.

Max tried to kick him a couple times in order to break free, but he barely had strengths to do that. Soon he couldn't even cough due to the high pressure in his throat. His hand was still pressing that cold wrist in a desperate attempt to resist to his powerful grip, but everything seemed to be useless.

"Last words?" The villain requested, right before losing his hand a little bit so he could talk.

"Yeah... I'm here to kill you... And that's what I'm gonna do." He responded with a broken voice.

At that very moment, Max was able to move his thumb and pressed a small button hidden in one of his knuckles, then an incredible glare was released from the palm of his hand, followed by a purple colored lighting that has beginning to emerge from Dark Slaughter's body, and went straight to Max.

"What the hell did you do?!" The villain asked in a burst of rage, as soon as the lighting disappeared.

That's when Max's look changed completely even when Dark Slaughter was still holding him by the neck. He didn't seem to be choking anymore, on the contrary, now he seemed to be breathing normally. At that moment he looked at his nemesis straight to his eyes, and all of a sudden a loud cracking sound could be heard in the entire room.

Dark Slaughter screamed out in pain after feeling how his hand got flipped backwards, until getting stocked in an impossible position. He didn't know what was happening, and no matter how hard he tried to set his hand back again, for some reason he couldn't do it.

"Does that answer your question?" Max inquired after landing on the floor.

As soon as he said that, it was clear for him what he just did; somehow Max was able to take away his telekinesis and used it to crush his hand to break free. Dark Slaughter was still trying to understand how he could've done such thing, especially after being so close to death.

And as he walked to the enemy, Max used his telekinesis to rip out the Thundertanium suit from his body, because he didn't need it to fight him anymore. Soon all those damaged pieces were left behind, revealing a black version of his super suit, with a grey colored "T" on his chest.

"You are your father's son." Max began to say as he saw the villain straight to his eyes. "He never wondered why I wanted to be a villain... And you never wondered why I was shooting at you with one hand only." He added right after, leaving Dark Slaughter with nothing more but rage inside him.

"Son of a bitch!" He shouted out while still holding his broken hand.

He quickly tried to use his heat breath against Max but it didn't work. Soon he came to the conclusion that maybe he wouldn't be able to use freeze breath neither, but when he thought about the idea of having lost all of his powers including his plasmakinesis, that's when he felt true fear.

"Did you really think I was gonna let you have her powers?" Max questioned when he saw desperation in his eyes. "You can thank your old man for helping me learn all about power-sapping devices." He kept saying as he showed his left gauntlet to provoke him. "Oh and you can set your hand back if you want. I'm done practicing." He added after seeing he was still trying to hold the pain.

The villain prepared his hand and after taking a deep breath, he made a quick movement and put it back in its place, but not before feeling an uncontrollable sore around his wrist. Now his hand seemed to be just fine, but wasn't able to move it due to the broken bones.

"You're fucking dead!" He yelled in rage.

Then he opened the other hand and a plasma ball appeared right in the middle of his palm, so he quickly threw it at Max, but now that he got Phoebe's telekinesis, it was easy for him to deflect it through one of the side windows. However, that didn't stop Dark Slaughter and kept shooting multiple times, with a furious expression on his face.

Max couldn't use his other hand due to the fractures he suffered when the repulsor gauntlet was destroyed, so he could only deflect the plasma balls with one hand, but for some reason it didn't seem to be a problem for him. It was like he never lost that power.

After redirecting all of the attacks, he made a quick move with the hand to pull that heavy old desk and crashed it on Dark Slaughter, destroying it completely. The villain found himself in the middle of those broken pieces of wood and did all he could to crawl out of them, but then someone grabbed him by the bulletproof vest.

"You killed her!" Max shouted out in rage but the villain didn't say anything, he just smiled at him with blood dripping from his mouth, so he dropped the vest and put one of his knees over the chest to immobilize him, and then punched him in the face with an incredible strength. "Why did you do it?! Why!" He yelled with the fist covered in blood.

"Because I wanted to make you suffer! Because... For years I heard my father talking about the great villain you'd get to be, and how you'd take over that fucking city together. I tried to warn him about you because I knew soon or later you'd betray him, but he decided to support you. Can you believe it? A villain allying himself with a superhero!" He began to explain, leaving Max astonished.

Soon all those memories from his teenage years came to his mind. Max would never stop regretting for having contact with Dark Mayhem after Phoebe was assigned to protect Hiddenville. Back then, he was so desperate to be better than her that never thought about the consequences of his acts.

"That's why I wanted to see you crying tears of blood after seeing your sister die in front of you, and hell I did. No Max, you never were my target, it was her." He stated with a sadistic smile on his face.

"I loved her... I loved her and you took her away from me!" Max replied with tears in the eyes.

"I knew her death would destroy you but... Imagine how surprised I was when I found out you two were more than siblings, that was... That was like the icing on the cake." He confessed to provoke him.

Max was so mad after hearing what said that all he could do was punching him in the face again, splashing his blood on the floor, and the villain was able to see the hate in his eyes. That's when Max moved the arm very quick and telekinetically threw him at the wall next to the window, leaving that sore body suspended some feet in the air.

He walked around the rests of the desk and stopped right in front of the broken window, and as he aimed his open hand at him, he made a quick gesture to force Dark Slaughter to put his hands together to prevent him from using his powers. Max was expecting to make him angrier than before, but when the villain raised the head he noticed there was a smile on his face.

"Did you really think you could win, Max?" He asked in a mocking way, but then changed his expression completely. "You shouldn't underestimate me like that." He added as his body started to glow in a slight green color.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Max rushed to ask in a worried voice.

"I told you I'd send you straight to hell... And that is exactly what I'm going to do. I'm blowing up this place." Dark Slaughter answered, right before the room got covered with a flashing glare.

Soon the place started to shake as his body got brighter and brighter. It was like the whole building was going to collapse at any moment. Max was able to feel the floor moving down his foots but that was the least of his problems, because now there was a human plasma bomb right in front of him, so he had to do something fast.

"Are you crazy?! You're gonna die too!" Max shouted out as he kept using his telekinesis on him.

"I'll die laughing if I know I've destroyed Max Thunderman." The villain stated with a satisfied voice.

That's when Max felt a big relief inside him, because after the terrible hell he has gone through, now he was about to die with a small part of Phoebe, one that let him turn the tables on his favor, but enough to win the battle. Max was ready to die and see the love of his life again, but he knew she would never let him give up so easily, so he decided to fight one last time.

"Not if I kill you first." Max concluded right before redirecting his telekinesis through his index finger, and started to slit his throat as he slowly moved the hand.

He immediately started to bleed as the incision grew across his neck, but at that very moment Dark Slaughter screamed out at the top of his lungs and he finally exploded right in front of Max, but all of a sudden something happened; the time seemed to have stopped in the whole building.

Billy has finally arrived at the energy plant after running at super speed from New York. He never pushed himself so hard before, he could even feel like his body was getting covered by some kind of blue lightings as he ran across all those cities, in his attempt to get to Metroburg.

As soon as he got in the building he could see a bunch of people severely hurt around him. He knew they were part of Dark Slaughter's army but yet, he decided to go check them up and see if they were still alive to get them out of the plant, but after taking a closer look he knew there was nothing he could do to save them.

He never saw something like that before. There were blood everywhere and it was really hard for him to believe that Max was capable of doing something like that, but he had to get focus and keep looking. He knew his brother was still inside but didn't know where, so he had to register every corner of the building until finding him.

 _"I hope it's not too late."_ He thought after checking up the last room from the first floor.

Due to the imminent explosion there were dozens of things falling around him, but his super speed allowed him to see them floating like there was no gravity to hold them. He was forced to dodge some of them to not get hurt, such as glass fragments or rusty pieces of machines.

Soon he made it to the third floor but after entering the hallway he saw there were more bodies blocking his path, so he began to run across the walls to avoid dodging them. It didn't take him long to check all of the floors but couldn't find anything but corpses, broken windows, blood stains and holes on the walls.

Once he managed to get in the last floor he saw two more bodies across the hallway, but he tried to ignore their wounds and run without looking back. Then he noticed the door has been ripped out, and when he walked inside the first thing he saw was an intense green light that made him turn around to the windows at the end of the room.

He finally found his brother but not as he expected, because Max was being thrown away by the explosion as he kept his left arm extended at Dark Slaughter, who seemed to be about to explode.

 _"Shit!"_ He said to himself as he studied the whole place.

He quickly ran to them but when he was about to take his brother out of there, he turned around and saw the villain with discontent. He couldn't believe he was in front of the person that has brought so much pain to his family. After all they've gone through, he actually thought that one day they could imprison him for life, but he was wrong.

When he took a closer look of the scene, he realized what was happening before he arrived. There was blood dripping from Dark Slaughter's throat, and Max was still aiming his index finger at him without taking his eyes off of him. It was clear that he was trying to kill him, no matter if that meant to die with him.

Then he saw a sharpened crystal floating next to him, so he firmly grabbed it while getting close to that monster, looking straight to his eyes. There was a sinister smile on his face despite of being about to explode, and for one second Billy actually understood all Max had to do in order find him.

He wanted to stab him with that crystal but he knew that wouldn't return his family what they've lost, and wouldn't heal all the pain he caused by killing Phoebe, so he decided to throw it out the window, perfectly knowing that if he let the villain inside, he wouldn't face other fate than death, so he turned around and ran to his brother to take him out of there.

He quickly ran to the first floor and one second later, they were both in the middle of a big field miles away from there. Once he was out of danger, Max turned around and saw how the explosion was destroying the whole building, and when he saw Billy standing next to him he understood what just happened, so he slowly let himself fall on his knees, without taking his eyes off of that place.

"No..." He muttered the moment his knees touched the grass.

He couldn't even feel the wind running on his face. He gaze seemed to have been lost in the horizon, as he saw how the cars in the parking were flying away, covered in fire. There was a helicopter from the Hero League on its way to the field, but he didn't seem to care about anything else but the explosion. He was so buried in his thoughts that couldn't even hear his brother's voice.

"Max, Max you okay?" Billy asked, without getting an answer.

Some seconds later, Hank landed in the middle of the field and run up to them. He was so worried that didn't even bother to slow down his landing and left a wide mark on the sow. He didn't have any idea of what just happened, but after seeing his boys were okay, he felt a big sense of relief.

"What's wrong, Billy?" Hank asked him after taking a closer look at Max.

"I don't know dad. He's not responding." Billy replied with a concerned voice.

"Max... Son, can you hear me?" He tried to call him, but Max didn't say anything.

It didn't take longer for the helicopter with the assault team to arrive, but not even the strong wind burst coming from the helix was enough for Max to come to his senses. His eyes were still looking at the place of the explosion, no matter how many times his father has been calling him.

Some tears began to run down his cheeks.

 **Somewhere in Metroburg.** **  
 **November 16, 2023, Thursday.**  
 **09:35 AM****

In a long hallway with clear walls and bright lights on the ceiling, a man in his mid-forties was walking pretty fast in the middle of all some numbered doors. With horn-rimmed glasses and a long lab coat, the man turned around a corner and kept walking with a blue folder in his right hand.

There was a man and a woman at the end of the hallway, looking through a wide window like they didn't want to leave. The woman put one hand on the cold crystal without being able to hold her tears, and the man tried to comfort her by placing both of his arms around her. When the guy with the lab coat came to them, he properly greeted them and started to adjust his glasses before opening the folder.

"Thanks for coming. I called you because after to the last tomography, we already have a more accurate diagnosis. The patient seemed to have some kind of catatonic schizophrenia; a psycho-motor alteration commonly caused by high levels of emotional and physical stress." The doctor explained as he read some of the papers.

"But... Does it have a cure? Is there a treatment?" The woman asked with a broken voice.

"Yes, there is a treatment we can start with, but it could take months or even years for the patient to get completely healthy. But don't worry, here in Rutledge we're going to do what's in our hands to help him." The doctor assured right before handing the folder to them.

The woman started to sob as she heard the doctor, especially when he pronounced the word 'years'. Her hands could barely hold the folder he gave her, but she did her best to hold her tears.

"Thank you so much, doctor." The man said while hugging his wife.

"You don't have to thank me, sir. We're here to help you." He assured with a serious look. "Now if you excuse me..." He added, apologizing himself for not being able to stay any longer.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Oh and... Do you think it'd be possible for us to stay here? Just a little bit." He asked after shaking the doctor's hand.

"Just a few minutes." He comprehensively agreed to his request, right before turning around to leave the couple alone.

Soon after the doctor left, they looked through the window again, with tears in the eyes. That loving couple was no one else but Hank and Barb, and were both staring at the person at the other side of the crystal. Hank was trying to hold his sobs to comfort Barb, and she started to cry with the head resting on his chest.

The person inside of the room was Max Thunderman, who was seated in one of the corners, with the head leaned on the padded wall. He has been tied up with a strait-jacket, and had a vacant stare like he was oblivious to everything around him. He didn't say any single word, but deep inside his mind there was only space for one person:

 _"Phoebe..."_

 **To be continued...**


	9. Inside the madhouse

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

Three months after that revealing talk with Chloe, Max was still protecting the city despite of his questionable methods. Soon he began to generate divided opinions among the citizens of Hiddenville, to the point of earning the name of the 'Hunter', cause it was widely known what the new hero used to do with criminals.

But that was exactly what put him in Evelyn's crosshairs, because all those arrests he performed during night patrols were beginning to project a bad image of the Hero League, and that was something she couldn't pass up.

"I have dozens of complaints from civilians, visits from State Department, and a bunch of government sanctions. I know you're not a police, but trying to be the judge, the jury and the executioner, that's... that's not justice."

"You want me to say that's not gonna happen again? So be it." Max assured her, looking at the screen.

As the time passed, Max started to control his emotions a little bit more, because after Evelyn's warning, he realized that risking his place in the Hero League just to make some low-level thieves bleed, didn't worth it. Besides, his entire search would be compromised if they ever found out.

In the next few weeks Chloe went to visit Max to give him Phoebe's necklace. She was actually trying to persuade him from going after Dark Slaughter, but he was so determined to kill him that not even the tears of his little sister were able to make him change his mind.

"I don't wanna lose another sibling." She quickly said before hugging him again.

"You won't Chloe... you won't." He promised her as he steadily looked at Phoebe's necklace in his hand.

But it was just a matter of time before things get worst, because when one of the criminals captured by Max fell into a comma state, Evelyn took a drastic decision and finally fulfilled her promise.

"I'm sorry Max but I warned you, you're out of the Hero League." Evelyn announced, visibly disappointed.

"Go to hell. That bastard may have shot that bullet, but if Phoebe's death is because we blindly followed your stupid plans!" Max stated with an angry voice.

But that was the drop that filled the glass, because he quickly turned his back on anyone who tried to interfere with his plans, including his parents. That's why when Hank tried to reason with him, things ended up so badly that he only fractured the lack of trust between them even more.

"Think about Phoebe, is this what she would have wanted?" Hank asked him while putting one hand on his shoulder.

"She would have wanted to live!" Max shouted out, turning around immediately and taking his father's hand off of him.

Without president Kickbutt or his parents following his steps, he finally got all the time he needed to perfect his new weapon, but soon his secret investigation ended up in a dead end, so he went to see the only person that could help him; Abigail Ashford, Phoebe's old friend.

But despite of the friendship they once had, Ashford was not able to help him due to Evelyn's orders, so Max was forced to get the information from other sources. Soon Abby's files lead Hank, Barb and the rest of new team all the way to New York, the place where they were supposed to find Dark Slaughter and his army.

"All right, we're in the ports. Waiting for instructions." Hank reported after parking the vehicle.

But they didn't know they were making a terrible mistake, because by going to the big apple they were doing just what Max wanted; keep everyone away from the old energy plant to go face Dark Slaughter alone.

"This ends today." Max said with a determined voice.

Once he got in the building, he used his new weapon to get rid of all those armed guys and made his way up to the last floor, as the team of heroes in New York took down the door of a warehouse, just to realize that the whole mission has terribly failed.

In the other hand, Max had a short encounter with Chameleon, but he was brutally murdered by Dark Slaughter in a burst of rage. That's how the moment they've been waiting for almost a year, finally arrived. They started to fight with all they've got, perfectly knowing that they wouldn't stop until one of them was death.

There was a moment where Max took advantage of the situation and was close to defeat him, but Dark Slaughter was fast enough and managed to destroy his weapon. Max was about to get killed.

"I've waited a long time for this." Dark Slaughter expressed with a deep tone of voice, and a sinister smile.

That's when Max used a hidden device to take all of Phoebe's powers from him, and took control of the fight by quickly reducing the enemy with telekinesis.

"You killed her! Why did you do it?! Why?!" Max yelled with the fist covered in blood.

"Because I wanted to make you suffer! For years I heard my father talking about the great villain you'd get to be. I tried to warn him but he decided to support you. That's why I wanted to see you crying tears of blood. No Max, you never were my target, it was her." He stated with a sadistic smile on his face.

After finding out the real reason he killed Phoebe, Max was so blinded by rage that all he wanted was to finish everything, but just when he was about to kill him, Dark Slaughter used one last resource.

"Did you really think you could win, Max? I'm blowing up this place." He assured as the room was being covered by a flashing glare.

"Not if I kill you first." Max concluded right before redirecting the telekinesis through his index finger, and started to slit his throat as he slowly moved the hand.

But one second before the explosion, Billy arrived at super speed and took his brother out of the building, letting the villain die by his own powers. Once they were far away from that place, Max realized that he failed to kill his nemesis. And that destroyed him completely.

"Max, Max you okay?" Billy asked without getting an answer.

With nothing else to fight for, Max fell into a deep catatonia state that deprived him from reality, and eventually ended up as an inmate in Rutledge Asylum, an advanced psychiatric hospital for superheroes in Metroburg.

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 9: Inside the madhouse.**

My name is Maximus Octavius Thunderman, I'm 24 years old and it's been about six weeks or so since my family brought me out here because for some reason, my brain stopped controlling my body. I used to dedicate my life to fight against crime, just like my parents Hank and Barbara did in their golden years.

I have three younger siblings; Billy, Nora and Chloe, but I haven't seen them in months. I remember I wanted to become a super villain back in my teenage years, but at some point something made me change. Wait... it wasn't something... it was someone. I used to have another sister, a twin sister called Phoebe but... I lost her.

I try to repeat myself all these things every time I wake up because I fear that one day I won't be able to remember her, and that's what scares me the most because it's all I have left from her; memories. As of today everything seems to be right there, but I still try to make sure every day.

At first I thought my condition would only last for some hours, but as the days passed I realized that things were more serious than I thought. I've heard my psychiatrist Doctor Hudson, say that I have something he calls "catatonic schizophrenia" and that I need to be kept under observation until seeing any changes.

I don't know if he's right or not, but sometimes I've felt like the fingers from my right hand were slightly moving, but it could be just a reflex. After all I went through, there's no reason to believe I care about any of this, but I would be lying. The truth is I never planned to end up like this, but now there's no turning back.

For the last few weeks I began to get used to this place, although it's a little hard sometimes. I hear desperate screams all nights, not to mention those melancholic sobs that tend to wake me up at dawn. But what I dislike the most is that horrible ammonia smell that floods my nostrils.

Frequently I receive visits from specialist doctors who examine my motor skills, waiting to find the answers they haven't been able to find in the topographies, but they haven't had any luck. It's hard to perceive the world being like this, but it's so much hard to do it alone.

It's funny how this works because contrary to what everybody thinks, I can see and hear everything around me, just not always the same way. Sometimes all I hear sounds so confusing that I can't even put some words together. Other times all I can see is whatever my eyes are focusing on.

Some days ago I started to notice the way Dr. Hudson's assistants flirt on each other when no one's around. They both seem to be so dedicated on their jobs, but last night I heard they started to date. They perfectly know they're breaking the rules of this place, but they just can't help it.

Every time I see this couple, I remember the secret relationship Phoebe and I had. It was more than a fraternal relationship, something most of the people would call "incest", a word we never liked to pronounce. We were so scared not to be accepted by our family, but at the same time we were willing to face it together.

I still remember that night at our parent's house. Phoebe and I agreed to tell them our secret after Thanksgiving dinner, but at the end of the day we couldn't say anything. I feel like it happened hundreds of years ago, but if there's something I'll never forget, is that wonderful night we spent together in my lair. Our very last night.

 _"I love you." She whispered directly to my ear._

 _"I love you more." I replied without stopping caressing her._

There's not a single day when I don't ask myself if I could've done anything else to save her. Maybe if I had suggested Evelyn a different plan... or maybe if we had carried our bulletproof cape that day. But no matter how many times I try to think about it, my mind always ends up reminding me the real reason of Phoebe's death.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I stare at the padded ceiling, trying to think about how happy we were the day before that. Several straps are firmly holding my body to the bed, an awkward measure considering all of my symptoms, but I suppose it must be the common procedure for patients in my condition.

Some hours ago I saw my parents talking to Dr. Hudson outside of my room. At first I was happy for their visit, but when I saw how sad they were, I really felt bad for putting them into this situation. Must have been really hard for them to see their son locked in a padded room, with a lifeless gaze and wrapped in a straightjacket.

I saw Dr. Hudson gave them what seemed to be a folder, and after a short talk he turned around and left them in front of my room. Soon mom started to cry uncontrollably, and dad hugged her very tightly. I couldn't hear what they said but when I saw the expression on their faces, I felt like something broke inside me.

I wish I wouldn't have to make them suffer like this. I wish I could give them a hug and apologize for being so mean toward them. I wish I could get out of this place and try to become the hero Phoebe wanted me to be, but that would imply to spend the rest of my life without her.

In a world like this, it's not worth living.

I have no idea how much time has passed since mom and dad left, but it must be hours. It's easy to lost track of time when you're in a padded room all day. Sometimes I feel like this is just a dream and I'm gonna wake up sooner or later, but every time I open my eyes in the morning, I always get back to this reality.

And if I've been here for more than six weeks, that means there's just a few days before Phoebe's mournful anniversary. I haven't visited her grave since that day, and it hurts to admit it but... even if I could move, I'm not sure if I'd go to see her. All these memories I just... I'm not sure I can take it.

Suddenly all the lights from the hallway went off, and I heard an alert coming from the door. An unmistakable sing that someone scanned an access card and is about to get in. Shortly after, the door opened very slowly.

"Good night Max." Amanda said with a sweet voice.

"Yeah, see ya." His partner Jake added, right before closing the door again.

From my position I wasn't able to see them, but they must be really happy for ending today's shift. I wonder if they're having that date they've been talking about all day. I can only imagine how relieved they must feel from hanging around without hiding their love from people. Just like Phoebe and me.

And being in the middle of darkness, I'm beginning to think about the events that brought me out here. After all I've done I thought my family would abandon me, especially after the terrible things I said when Evelyn kicked me out the League but... I was wrong. They're still supporting me.

I didn't realize the moment when my family became an obstacle in my life. Even my 12 years old sister Chloe, tried to convince me to let everything behind and move on with my life, but I didn't want to listen. There was nothing I cared about more than killing the man who took away the woman of my life.

I spent so much time hunting down Dark Slaughter, that couldn't see I was just denying the fact that I'd never see her again. Killing the most wanted villain was the perfect excuse for not having to endure with her death, so when I lost my only chance to get revenge, nothing seemed to have sense anymore.

That night, when I was about to kill him, I had already accepted my fate. I knew I'd die in that place but at the same time, I was happy. Not only because I would avenge her death, but because there was a small possibility to see her again. Deep down me that's all I wanted, but life had other plans for me.

I feel how my eyes are slowly closing, as my mind keeps bringing all those moments Phoebe and I shared together. I try not to think about the days when I used to annoy or betray her but... it's inevitable. I still remember that time when there was a deep fracture in our relationship.

 _"Max, how could you do that to me?!" I heard a furious voice walking down my lair._

 _"Phoebe got hurt? Good job." Colosso said, satisfied from the collateral damage I supposedly caused._

 _It's like I'm seeing it all over again. She quickly walked down the stairs and headed to me with a serious look I didn't remember seeing before. At first, I thought she was just angry because I left her at Bradford's office alone, but I was terribly wrong._

 _"Using me to steal your stupid book back from Bradford is pretty low! I hope you're proud of yourself!" She quickly said, looking straight to my eyes._

 _"I don't wanna brag but... yeah it was pretty awesome, hey." And as always, I tried to tease her by showing my ego._

 _It's been years since then, but I still blame myself for being so cold toward her. I was so focused on becoming a super villain, that my pride didn't let me see that she was not complaining for being mad at me, but because she was very_ _disappointed._

 _"Bradford accused me of helping you and shut down the Green Teens. Because of you that stink plant is doomed!" She kept saying, raising the voice._

 _"Phoebe, it's just smelly cabbage." I tried to minimize the subject, but that just made her angrier._

 _"It's not just about the plant! For once thought you actually had my back!" She furiously replied._

 _"I did have your back, then I stabbed ya in it." I said in a mocking way._

 _I still can't believe how could I say that to her without considering her feelings. The expression on her face was one of disbelief rather than anger. I thought that stupid comment would make her smile, and yeah she smiled, but not the way I expected. I never imagined what she was about to tell me._

 _"You know what? Even after all the times you've disappointed me, I always thought that deep down inside you there was some good. Today made me realize that you really are just a bad person. So I'm done wasting my time on you."_

 _"¡Oh come on! That's not how the whole Max/Phoebe twin thing works. Hey... smack this book out of my hand."_

 _I thought she was just exaggerating like always, but when I offered to solve our problem our own way, that's when I realized that things would never be the same. I not only used her to get what I wanted, I also broke her trust without even showing remorse. All I could do was standing there and see her walking out of my lair._

Even though Phoebe tried to forgive me for what I did to her, things between us didn't get better in the next few weeks. Sometimes when I walked in the living room or the kitchen and she was there doing her homework, she quickly stood up and tried to pretend she was doing something, then grabbed her things and walked up to her room.

Obviously she was still hurt, but I didn't know what to do. It's not like we didn't talk to each other anymore, but there was this strange tension between us. We spent several weeks just like that, and I guess our family was really busy see it, because the only person who noticed something was wrong, was our little sister Chloe.

It was during her first trick or treat that she came up with the most brilliant idea to make us stop fighting. That night mom helped her to disguise as a little pirate, and when I got to the living room I saw Phoebe was giving to her the same pumpkin she used to carry when we were kids.

As for me, I bought Chloe a patch to help her improve her disguise. But even in the middle of the tension between us, Phoebe and I managed to compete like we always did. However, none of us could ever imagine what our little sister has been plotting all day.

 _"I already know who I wanna go with." I heard Chloe say while putting on the patch._

 _"Who?" Phoebe curiously asked._

 _"But first, promise me you won't fight again." She asked us, using that sweet tone of voice mom and dad would never be able to resist._

 _At that moment, Phoebe and I looked at each other for some seconds until we nervously lowered our gaze at the same time. It took both of us by surprise that even at her young age, Chloe was able to see that her older siblings were not getting along as good as before._

 _"But... Max and I... we are not fighting, Chloe." Phoebe tried to convince her, right before taking a quick glance at me._

 _"Promise!" She_ _insisted, frowning at us._

 _After seeing that Phoebe and I were still thinking about it, Chloe crossed her arms and kept waiting for an answer. We knew it was her first Halloween and didn't want to ruin everything just because of our problems, so we accepted her innocent request._

 _"Okay, I promise." Phoebe agreed, rising her right hand as a sign for promise._

 _"Me too."_ _I added right away, doing the same thing as her._

 _"I choose... both!"_

My heart skips a beat when I remember how she forced us to hold hands and wait for her among the people, as she ran to get her candies. At first, that warm contact was kind of uncomfortable for us, because in just a few seconds we went from barely talking to each other, to hold hands like we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

We tried to split up every time we got to a new house, but Chloe managed to prevent us from doing it. As the time passed she didn't have to force us anymore, because we were already doing it by our own. At that time Chloe was too young to comprehend, but thanks to her innocent plan, things between Phoebe and me started to get better in the next few days.

And so, with that picture of Phoebe craved in my mind, I feel like I'm starting to fall asleep. I wish I could dream of her one more time. I don't know why but it's been quite a lot since the last time I dreamed about something... or someone. Little by little my thoughts fade away, until I finally lose consciousness.

 **Some weeks later.**

Several weeks had passed since the last time I saw my parents in front of my room. It's hard to determinate the current day but I'm sure it's mid-December now, because two nights ago I heard Dr. Hudson talking to a colleague about the presents he'd give to his son for Christmas.

The nights had become a little bit cold lately. The straightjacket helped me to keep my body heat stable, but in the last few days they decided to stop using it for my bedtime, so Amanda makes the effort to drop by my room and wraps me up with a warm blanket every single night, right before walking out of the asylum with Jake.

I knew none of those stupid rules would make them end with their relationship. With all those complicit looks they shared all the time, it was pretty obvious they'd end up dating sooner or later. They haven't been caught so far and I hope things keep going this way. It's good to see them together.

It still surprises me how much they remind me of Phoebe and me. Not only for keeping their relationship a secret just like we did, but because they really look alike. Amanda has dark brown hair and eyes of the same color. Her voice is very sweet and for what I've heard, she likes to sing in the hallways from time to time.

Jake is a little taller than her, with dark brown hair and identical eyes. They could barely pass for siblings. The only difference is that none of them had gone through the hell of losing their other half in a tragic way. I know it's wrong but... sometimes I feel a little envious when I look at them walking by the window together.

I woke up a couple hours ago but for some reason, I haven't been examined by any doctor yet. I'm still tied up to my bed wearing the common attire for inmates; white t-shirt and sweatpants. It didn't take much time to start hearing all that noise from other rooms, but then the sound of the door opening caught my attention, and then some steps got close to my bed.

"Good morning Max!" Amanda exclaimed with a wide smile.

She always greets me like that. I thought she was going to feed me like every morning, but then I saw she was carrying a medical case in her hands. She placed it on my bed and grabbed a few things out; a cotton balls bag, an antiseptic bottle and what seems to be a syringe with several small needles.

It looks like the syringes Dr. Colosso invented for the Hero League. The same one they used to contain the regenerative formula, but this one is a little different. This has two small containers; an empty one and another filled with a blue luminous substance.

"Dr. Hudson needs a blood sample to analyze it but don't worry, this special formula will help you to heal the needle stick more quickly." She explained to me while opening the cotton bag.

Then she grabbed the antiseptic bottle and moistened a small piece of cotton with it. She put aside the blanket to expose my neck and rubbed the wet cotton on my skin. I'm not afraid of needles anymore, but I still got a little nervous when she grabbed the syringe and put it really close to my neck.

"This is not gonna hurt you. I promise." She assured me with a peaceful look.

And with a slight move, she inserted the micro-needles in my skin. I could barely feel how a small amount of blood was being flowed to that plastic container. Some seconds later, Amanda stopped pulling the plunger and then she proceeded to inject me with the formula right in the neck.

"And... done." I heard her say right after extracting the syringe.

In less than one second I started to feel how my blood stopped flowing, and my skin closed immediately. The next thing she did was cleaning my neck with synthetic gauze. This is the third time I depend on this formula, and I hope it's the last one because every time it heals my body, all those tragic memories come to my mind.

I'll never forget about the first time that thing entered my bloodstream. It was after Phoebe and I confronted Dark Slaughter at the energy plant. We were thrown out the window and as soon as we touched the ground, she injected me with her own formula to help me heal my injuries, something I'll regret forever.

But the second time was at Metroburg General Hospital. The Hero League brought me out there due to the serious injuries I suffered after the repulsor gauntlet exploded in my right hand. Several bones were really damaged, not to mention the second-degree burns.

The doctors were not sure they could save my hand, but that night something happened.

 _After treating my injuries, they put me under strict observation and nobody was allowed to visit me until next day. But as I rested in that solitary bedroom, I felt someone approaching to me very stealthy. Some seconds later the lamp next to my bed was turned on, and then I saw this mysterious person. It was Santiago._

 _"I know we were never really friends but... I'm so sorry about your sister. We tried to get there as soon as Evelyn called but... when the helicopter landed it was too late." He explained while looking at my hand with a serious expression. "I couldn't save your sister that day but... I can save you today."_

 _And soon after saying that, he pulled out a common_ _syringe from the pocket and nailed it to his left arm. He pulled the plunger to extract some of his own blood and once the barrel was filled, he got close to the IV stand and injected it to the plastic bag. He just had to wait a few seconds for my hand and my other injuries started to heal._

 _"My blood has never been tested to heal directly, but the Hero League was gonna take so long to_ _synthesize a new formula, and I heard the doctors say that there was a high possibility of you losing your hand so... I had to do something." He said with a concerned voice._

 _The pain in my hand was gone, and so the serious burns and broken bones. I tried to move my fingers a couple times, but it was useless. A part of me believed that his blood would heal me completely, including my brain but... I guess that even his healing power_ _has certain limitations._

 _"I gotta go. There are two guards watching the hallway so..."_

 _He was about to throw away the syringe when all of a sudden, someone opened the door. A nurse in her mid-forties walked inside with some papers in her hands. When she saw Santiago standing in_ _the middle of the room, she didn't hesitate to turn the lights on immediately._

 _"Sir you can't be here, this is a restricted area. I'm gonna have to call security." The woman warned him, very nervous._

 _She opened the door again and tried to get some help, but at that very moment Santiago ran up to the window and threw himself into the void, activating a security alarm in the process. The nurse turned around very quick just to see the broken window at the bottom of the room. She was astonished._

 _That's one of the reasons I never liked this guy, he loves drama._

If I could choose right now, I would've denied to receive this injection. Not because the idea of healing a simple needle stick is ridiculous, but because it's nothing more than a cruel reminder of the biggest mistake I have ever made in my whole life, and no matter how hard I've tried, I haven't been able to forget.

"I'm taking this sample to the doctor. I'll be right back in a minute to help you eat your breakfast." Amanda told me while putting all this things back in the medical case, including the syringe with my blood.

She smiled at me as always and turned around with the medical case in her hands. Once she got out of my vision range, I waited to hear the sound of the wireless panel, and then the door closing. Shortly after, I did the only thing I could do while being tied up to a bed; looking at the ceiling.

That's when I noticed something has changed; the lights on the ceiling looked a little different than I remembered. It was like they've been replaced by new ones with a warmer tone. For some reason these lights remind me of the warm sunlight that used to get in our room at the apartment. When Phoebe and I woke up together.

Normally she'd get up first and left me alone in the bed to go make our breakfast, but sometimes her stealthy moves woke me up accidentally, and I firmly hugged her to not let her go. Other times we used to take turns to close the blinds with telekinesis. It was fun to use our powers on common things like that.

My eyes fill with tears every time I remember when Dark Slaughter took her powers away. He did the same with me but also made sure I'd never get them back by turning the orb into a bunch of ashes. I guess he never thought that one day I would be able to take those powers back and use them to defeat him.

I wasn't really planning to recover her powers, but after building the replusor gauntlet, I realized that killing Dark Slaughter would destroy Phoebe's powers forever, and I was not gonna let that happen. There was only one way to save that last part of her, and that is exactly what I did.

I'll never forget what I felt from using her powers. For a second I felt like old times, disarming robbers with telekinesis, freezing them on the walls... but deep down inside me I knew that these powers didn't belong to me, that I just borrowed them to finish what I started more than a year ago. And now that I have them... I can't return them to you.

I don't deserve your powers, Pheebs. Not after all the terrible things I had to do for revenge. I can't even remember how many people I killed that night just to get to him, but I'm sure of one thing; if you would've seen at least half of the things I did to them, you would've thought I was a monster.

Now I'm condemned to live with these powers. Torturing myself every day with the very idea that I was indirectly responsible for your death, and dealing with the guilt of owning your powers forever. But at the same time I feel happy, because having recovered your powers makes me think that you didn't die completely that day.

I haven't even tried to use them since I got here, and I won't deny it, I'm curious to see if they work with me being like this, but I just don't feel with the right to do so. It was because of me that you died. It was because of me that the worst villain in the world became so much powerful and the only chance I had to kill him... was a complete disaster.

I've been trying to get used to the idea of spending the rest of my life alone in this place. I hadn't had any changes for quite a long, so it's just a matter of time to be declared a lifelong inmate, but as tough as it may sound, it's not so bad. After all, there's nothing left for me outside of these walls.

The other day I heard Dr. Hudson and one of his friends talking about my case. He presented him one of his theories called "self-restoration". He said that maybe if I tried to use these powers long enough, it could reactivate certain parts from my brain that would help me regain my mobility more quickly. It's been like two weeks since I heard that but... I haven't tried yet.

Things would be so different if you were still here. Maybe if you were here to support me like you always did, I would've tried to get better a long time ago. But Pheebs, without you... I don't even want to try it. That's what I was thinking about when I suddenly heard a very familiar voice inside of my head:

 _"Everything you do you are! It's because you're afraid of failure. You think it's easier not to try, than to try and end up failing. That should be your motto."_

It's been years since you said that to me. That day we had to work as a team to pass Mrs. Austin's class, and I spent several hours just being annoying to have you doing all the work for me, and even if I made you fall in my game, I never thought you would give me one of the greatest lessons in my life.

Your words were sharpened that night, so much that I still remember them perfectly. That's why when I heard them in my head again, I couldn't help but thinking that maybe you're trying to tell me something. Normally I'd try to argue but... I guess I won't lose anything for trying.

I force myself to move my left hand normally but... nothing. I can't move a single finger. Then I decide to do something that had always been really hard for me; using telekinesis without redirecting the energy thought my hands. Phoebe tried to teach me several times, but I always ended up exhausted after practicing. Now I have to do it alone.

Still remember her lessons like the first day: _"Focus your mind."_ she said. _"Visualize your environment like it was a part of you, like you were connected. When you locate the object you want to move, try to feel it with your mind. Once you can actually feel it... just move it. Don't think about it, just do it."_

I close my eyes to focus on moving my hand, but this time with my energy. I follow her steps one by one but it's harder than I remember. I can't believe she mastered this power at such amazing level. I tried for several minutes without success, and just when I was about to give up, I start to feel something around my fingers.

It feels like when I used to aim one of my hands to move something with telekinesis, but there's a little difference. Instead of sending my energy to an object, I try to feel it all around my hand. Soon I was able to move my fingers until closing the fist completely.

I tried to do it again just to make sure I could, and after a couple tries my palm started to open very slowly. Once I learned how to properly connect my hand to my brain, everything seemed to be easier. Obviously I still need to practice but... it's a start. Maybe that doctor was right, maybe I can get better.

I repeated the same process to close my hand for the last time, but at that very moment I heard someone at the door. That must be Amanda with today's breakfast. After a few seconds I see the young nurse next to my bed, holding a dish of that strange substance they call 'nutritional supplement'. I hope it tastes better than yesterday's

"You ready Max? Look, I brought you some of..." Amanda tried to say but something made her stop. "Oh my God..." She exclaimed astonished while taking a step back, and then let the dish fall on the padded floor. "Doctor... Doctor!" She repeatedly yelled before running out of the room.

She didn't even close the door after leaving, and all I could hear was the echo of her voice coming from the hallway, desperately trying to find Dr. Hudson. At first I didn't understand why she reacted like that, but then I realized my fist was still closed. I guess she wasn't expecting me to get better so soon.

 **Two months later.**

It's been exactly two months since the day I used Phoebe's powers, or at least one of them. Somehow, the theory of Dr. Hudon's old friend ended up being true, because in less than three weeks I was able to move most of the parts from my body, although it's very soon to stand on my own.

I still receive Amanda and Jake's help from time to time, especially during my physical therapies. Everything points out that I'll be able to move my body at will very soon. However, it's kind of weird how catatonic schizophrenia works. Sometimes I can move my arms almost like before, but other times they remain completely motionless for hours.

But what I still don't understand is how I'm regaining control of my body. There was a time when I thought I was destined to move by constantly using telekinesis. That I'd have to develop a barely impossible level to actually do it, but as the time passed my body started to respond normally. It's like I'm learning everything all over again.

I can't stop thinking that this is all thanks to Phoebe. I want to believe that this very last part of her is responsible for my recovery process, but every time I try to convince myself, the cold idea of my brain getting forced to work with telekinesis just... takes over me.

 _"It's the twin thing"_ mom would say, but how truth is this if one of the twins is gone. Our powers made us stronger while being together, but all of my powers are gone too. So how could it be a twin thing, how could it be anything... if the person I came to this world with has departed long before I did.

There are movies where the girl dies horribly, but the boyfriend feels she's still there, taking care of him every day. Even the smallest signal would've been enough for me, but unfortunately life is not like the movies, and all I have left is to hang on to the idea, that having her powers is a way to keep her memory alive.

In all this time I could only see my parents on two occasions; Christmas and New Year. It was good to see them again, but I wish they could've stayed longer. I was hoping to see any of them around here on Thanksgiving but... I guess it's still a day that brings bad memories to all of us, especially them.

Lots of things have changed since I started to regain control of my body. The first thing they did was taking me to a bigger room, so I could finally say goodbye to that small padded room. Of course my needs changed too, so I began to receive visits from other doctors specialized on schizophrenia cases.

Soon they decided it was not necessary to keep feeding me with that horrible thing, so they finally replaced it with solid food. But no matter how much better I feel right now, Dr. Hudson insists on making me use this straightjacket all day, especially when he drops by my room to examine me.

A part of me is grateful for not being locked in that padded hole, although it made me feel secured somehow. This new room seems less depressing than the last one, especially for the white walls. My bed is on the left side and there's an old wooden chair on one of the corners, which is used by the doctors whenever they come here.

I try to remember when was the last time Amanda or Jake helped me to stand up from the bed, but this morning I was able to do it without their help, so it's very much possible that my motor skills will get better in the upcoming days. Right now I'm seated at the edge of the bed, with my head tilted down and staring at the floor.

Suddenly I hear several footsteps getting close to my room, and after a few seconds the metal door opens. I try to raise my head to see who's there but... I can't do it. It must be Dr. Hudson with two of the asylum orderlies. Unlike Amanda or Jake, they always wear a blue uniform with a Rutledge logo on the chest.

Some of these guys have been following him everywhere. At first I didn't understand why, but when I took a better look at one of their access cards, I realized it was due to the security level of this area in particular. I guess there must be other patients with more severe cases than me.

"Good morning Max. It's good to see you're getting better every day." I heard Dr. Hudson say once he stopped right in front of me, with a medical case in his hands.

"Will you need us here?" One of the orderlies asked.

"Thanks gentleman, but your services won't be required. I'll take care from here." Dr. Hudson replied.

Normally, all of his comments are reduced to: 'hey Max, you look better than yesterday' or things like that. I would've ignored this if it weren't for the words he pronounced: 'Your services won't be required'. That's when I remembered what Dark Slaughter used to say to his goons when he was about to kill them.

"All right, let's start." He told me while pulling something out of his medical case.

He proceeded to examine my right leg muscles with a reflex hammer, but when he put that thing close to my knee, I looked at his hand and saw he had a black tactical glove. I followed his arm with the eyes and found out he was wearing some kind of black rope.

At that very moment something happened. I suddenly felt a strange energy activating inside me. It was like something was fighting to break free at all costs, and without thinking straight, I raised my head and quickly noticed how everything had changed around me.

The room was half illuminated. The walls looked so neglected as though the place has been abandoned for years. There were red stains all over the floor, and a disgusting smell of rotten meat invaded my nostrils. But none of that mattered when I finally saw the person in front of me. That scar on his face, that sadistic expression... It was Dark Slaughter.

I quickly stood up and he took a step back. I looked down to his left hand and saw he was actually holding a mallet. I can't believe this is happening. He's supposed to be death but for some reason he's standing right in front of me, with the same challenging look from the last time I saw him.

"I knew you'd return sooner or later, Max. I guess you..." He tried to say but before he could finish his sentence, I slightly turned my head and telekinetically threw the mallet at the bottom of the room.

I slowly walked to him with one singular thought; murder. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands, so without thinking about the consequences, I used telekinesis to rip my straightjacket, and in just a few seconds I was able to extend both of my arms to take it off completely, and dropped the remaining on the floor.

I aimed my right hand at him but all of a sudden, two guys wearing black tactical clothes forced their way into the room and approached to me immediately, but trying to keep a safe distance. They were both carrying firearms that quickly pointed at me.

"Get away from him!" They both shouted out as Dark Slaughter walked to the hallway window.

For some reason, he's allowing his goons to handle the situation as he watch the whole thing at the distance. I don't understand why he's doing that but there's no time to figure it out, because these guys are still getting close to me without putting their guns down.

"Don't move." One of them ordered me when he noticed they were not intimidating me.

I knew I could stop the bullets in the air just like before, but after spending several months without using telekinesis, I didn't want to risk and fail, so I tried to find another way to stop them. Dark Slaughter was still next to the window, and when I saw the door was opened I came up with an idea, so I focused my mind and tried to close it.

After a couple tries, I finally pushed that heavy metal door, and a loud clang could be heard all over the room, which made those guys turn around immediately to see what has caused it. That was the opportunity I was looking for. It was now or never.

I quickly lift my right hand to make them drop their guns, and with a single move of my arm I telekinetically threw them against the wall on my left, and before they tried to do something to defend themselves, I blew out as hard as I could until they ended up turned into a thick block of ice.

After getting rid of them, I turned to Dark Slaughter and looked at him straight to his eyes, with nothing more but hate inside me. I knew how dangerous his powers could get to be, and after using telekinesis on those guys I realized my brain was not at its best time, but still I was not gonna let him run away. Not this time.

"You..." I muttered while getting close to him.

"Wait. You don't know what you're..." He tried to tell me something I didn't want to hear.

I quickly raised both of my hands and threw him a telekinetic wave that sent him thought the window behind, in the middle of hundreds and sharpened glass fragments. After getting slammed against the wall outside, he violently fell to the floor and a loud alarm started to ring all around the place.

He might get hurt after the fall but I'm sure he's still alive, so I head to the door to go after him. I didn't even stop to open it normally, I just made a slight movement with my right hand and quickly ripped it from its hinges, like it was made of paper.

It was weird to walk again. I felt like my legs were getting numb at every step, but when I finally put a foot out of the room that strange sensation was gone, because the moment I looked down the floor, I saw Dark Slaughter desperately crawling away.

I walked to him while feeling those broken glasses nailing in my feet, and just when he was about to stand up, I waved my left arm and made him levitate against the wall. When we were finally face to face, I started to apply pressure around his neck without even touching him. That's when I saw the same expression from that day. He was running out of air.

"I don't know how you returned from death, but you were safer back there." I furiously said.

"This is not... what you think..." He was able to say with certain difficulty, but all I did was tighten his neck even more.

The hallway was being illuminated by a red blinking light that seemed to be synchronized with the alarm. That horrible sound could've easily disturbed me in another situation, but right now there's nothing more important for me than listening to his suffering.

His moaning are like music to my ears. I can barely think about anything else rather than keep torturing him, even when I perfectly know that killing this man is not gonna bring Phoebe back. For one second I try to hold my rage back, but this is bigger than me. I just can't control myself.

When I felt some tears running down my cheeks I knew the time has come, so I stopped choking him and focused my mind on keep holding him against the wall. He immediately started to cough in a desperate attempt to catch some breath, but it was just the beginning of his pain.

"Burn in hell, you son of a bitch." I furiously said while pointing my index finger at his neck.

He didn't say anything, all he did was closing the eyes and wait for his fate. Everything was coming to an end. I could finally get out of this place and move on with my life, just like I promised to Phoebe the night before her funeral. I was about to slice his throat when I suddenly heard something at the distance.

I turned my head to the left and saw a door getting slammed open near the end of the hallway. Several guys walked out in less than a second and as soon as they spotted me, started to run up here. They're wearing the same attire than the guys I froze inside of the room, so they must have guns too.

There were five, maybe six of them. I'm practically outnumbered, but that never stopped me before. I was pretty sure I could easily get rid of them and dispose of Dark Slaughter, but when I felt he was slowly descending from the wall, I confirmed that my brain was not at 100% yet.

I had to do something quick, so I looked at my right and saw a small sign at the end of the hallway that read 'emergency exit'. I could stay here to fight and risk to be locked up again, or I could try to get out of this place and find this bastard later.

I knew those guys would be here at any minute, so I decided to go for the second option. I turned to face Dark Slaughter and with a single gesture of my hand I hold his entire body in the air again. I would've liked to keep squeezing his life out of him, but it was too risky, so I could only say:

"This is not over yet."

And without saying anything else, I waved my left arm at them and threw him all across the hallway as hard as I could. That should give me a few more seconds to escape, so when I saw how he knocked them off with his own body, I started to run to the other side.

I still feel a little numbness in my legs but I can't stop right now, I gotta get out of here at all costs. Once I got to the end of the hallway, I saw a fire extinguisher hanging from the wall, so I slowed down a little bit and used heat breath to blow it up and use it as a distraction. As the Co2 got spread, I turned to the left and kept running.

There was a red door with some warning signs at the end of the corridor. It seems pretty solid from here but if it's like the one I took down in my room, it won't be hard to rip it off with telekinesis. I just hope I still got enough energy to do it before they get to me.

And as I ran down the hallway, I tried to push the door by throwing a telekinetic wave, but it barely moved. That thing is stronger than I thought, and the worst thing is I don't have time to find another way out. I tried to concentrate again but this time, I threw a telekinetic burst and in less than one second, it flew out and activated a second alarm.

 _"Shit!"_ I mentally said while taking a look behind me.

No one was there but I did hear some noises at the distance. That was not good, so I immediately walked out of the building and as soon as I felt the cold snow on my feet, I realized I was finally outside. I couldn't help but taking a deep breath, because after being isolated in that room for such a long time, finally I could breathe some fresh air.

I looked around and found myself in what seemed to be a large backyard, surrounded by very high walls. The whole ground was covered with snow and as far as I could tell, it's was a cold Christmas. I raised my gaze and tried to find something that could tell me where I was, but all I saw was a lot of pines behind the walls.

Soon I started to feel the winter wind running thought my body. It won't be easy to escape from this place wearing just the asylum clothes, but I have no choice. Suddenly I hear some steps getting close here, so I tried to run without looking back, but then something stopped me.

I felt a powerful discharge running thought my body. It was impossible for me to keep standing so I fell on the snow, writhing in pain. When the discharge stopped I saw two probes attached to my chest, so I tried to open the eyes but all I saw was an unknown man appearing from nothing, with a Taser in his hands.

"I got him!" I heard him say out loud.

Shortly after he grabbed me by the arms and dragged me back to the building. The discharge left me so stunned that I could barely think straight. I've never been attacked by one of the weapons I used in the past, but now that I feel my muscles contracting and the probes nailed in my skin, I realize how much this hurts.

It didn't take so long before I started to hear all those persons approaching, and a few seconds later I saw four mans with the same tactical attire standing around me. That's when Dark Slaughter showed up among them, with something in his right hand I wasn't able to recognize.

My eyes are heavy. It's like I'm falling asleep and couldn't do anything to avoid it. I tried to keep myself awake but all of a sudden, everything started to change around me. The walls regained that tidy white color they used to have, the webs were gone and all those blood stains I saw everywhere, had completely disappeared.

Soon I realized I was not surrounded by criminals as I thought, but by orderlies of the asylum, and the person I thought was Dark Slaughter, was just a man in his mid-forties wearing horn-rimmed glasses, and a white lab coat. I have no idea what's going on.

"Max, can you hear me? It's me, Dr. Hudson." He told me while getting on his knees next to me.

"What the hell is going on?" I was able to say while trying to move away from him, but then I felt a needle sticking in my neck.

"It's okay, it was just a psychotic episode. You'll be fine." He replied in a calm voice.

I can't believe what he's saying. So it's all in my head? Is this just a mental trick my brain created just to convince me that I had one last chance to kill Dark Slaughter? The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm not as good as I thought. At least not mentally.

Everything looked so real. The abandoned-looking room, that heavy mallet I threw at the wall, the guys I froze before, the firearms they aimed at me... Dark Slaughter himself. And as I try to get things straight in my head, I start to feel dizzy and then I slowly closed my eyes. The last thing I heard was Dr. Hudson's voice saying:

"Don't worry Max, I'm going to help you."

 **To be continued...**


	10. The girl who came from nowhere

**Previously on Cornerstone...**

The death battle between Max Thunderman and Dark Slaughter put an end to the worst villain in the world, but it also brought terrible consequences. Max survived to the plasmakinetic explosion, but the trauma he felt from not being able to kill the man who took Phoebe away from him, ended up affecting his mind to the point of being diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia.

Now, six weeks later he's still under treatment at Rutledge Asylum, where he's given all the help he needs to regain his mobility and mental health. His case is led by Dr. Hudson, one of the most prominent psychiatrists in Metroburg, but despite of all those tests and medicines he has tried, there hasn't had any changes.

But as the doctors and the asylum staff kept checking him out and attending to his needs, Max spent most of the time buried in his thoughts, remembering the woman he lost that black Friday. His biggest fear is that one day he's gonna start to forget about her.

 _"I don't deserve your powers, Pheebs. Not after all the terrible things I had to do for revenge."_

He still feels remorse for killing the entire army of Dark Slaughter, but nothing compares to the blame he felt from keeping Phoebe's powers that night. He doesn't feel worthy enough to use them, not even after learning that there was a small chance of getting better if he ever tried to use them.

As the time passed, he gave up to the idea of spending the rest of his life in that place. Phoebe was death so he got no other reason to fight for anymore, but all those memories of her were exactly what made him change his mind, and finally decided to give life one last chance.

Using Phoebe's powers was the key for his body started to move again, and in just two months he was so much better that he could actually move a little bit without anyone's help. Everything seemed to be getting better until the day Dr. Hudson showed up in his room, and Dark Slaughter appeared instead of him.

That's when Max regained full control of his body and knocked off two of his guards to go after him. In just a few seconds the whole place was in total chaos, but he managed to stop the villain and started to choke him with telekinesis, just like that night.

"I don't know how you returned from death, but you were safer back there." He furiously said while tightening his throat.

Max was about to kill him but he noticed his powers were not working properly, so when he found himself outnumbered by the enemy, he decided to escape from the building and try to find him later.

And even though his brain was not at its best time, he managed to run away from Dark Slaughter and his men, but as soon as he put one foot out of the building, he realized that the place was in the middle of forest. He was about to escape from the asylum when a powerful discharge put him down immediately.

Everything was just a hallucination caused by the schizophrenia. His mind was so damaged for having failed to kill Dark Slaughter, that in the middle of his rage he almost kills the only person that could help him to regain his mental health; Dr. Hudson.

"Don't worry Max, I'm going to help you."

And now... the new chapter of Cornerstone.

 **Chapter 10:** **The girl who came from nowhere.**

 **Rutledge Asylum, Metroburg.** **  
 **March 5, 2024, Tuesday.**  
 **01:23 PM****

It's been three weeks since I tried to escape from the asylum, and things here seemed to be getting back to normal. It took them several days to repair all the damages I caused the other night, and they even had to take me to a special room reinforced with Thundertanium, for patients with unstable powers.

According to Dr. Hudson, this is the worst incident they have ever had since this place was inaugurated in 1985. In his own words, they've never had a patient with such advanced level of telekinesis or multiple powers, so they were not ready to respond to a situation like that.

Fortunately, no innocents had to die because of my psychosis. And even if my stay here was not affected by what I did, at the end of the day my actions had consequences, since Dr. Hudson thought it was better for me if I stayed in this room for a couple months, or at least until stopping my hallucinations.

This new room it's kind of different than the previous one. The walls are entirely made of metal, so it doesn't have any windows, but the good thing is now I have all I need for my day-to-day, like a small place to eat, a warm bed, a drawer chest for my second change of clothes, and even a bathroom sink and a toilet.

But staying in my room is not as bad as it used to be. Now that I can move again, everything is so much easier for me. I even started working out a couple days ago, just like old times. But there's something I've been doing a lot lately; trying to master these powers.

Some months ago I have lost all hopes for recovery, and didn't even care if stayed here forever. After Phoebe's death nothing seemed to have sense anymore, not even life. But it was thanks to her that I started getting better. Her memories gave me the strengths I needed to keep fighting, and now I think I can go through this and try to regain my mental health. Maybe I can become the hero she wanted me to be.

For what I've seen so far, heat breath and freeze breath seems to work just like before, but telekinesis... it's a different story. For the last few days I've been feeling like it was easier for me to use it. I have even moved some objects without having visual contact, something I always had problems with.

I'm in the middle of my levitation practice right now, and things are going pretty well. There are only a few things I can use for practice here, that's why I decided to try something different. I can feel the energy flowing down my feet as I raise myself into the air. I can't believe I'm doing this on my own.

This immediately brought me back to the days where Phoebe and I were training to get in the Z-Force. After failing over and over again, we thought it'd be impossible for us to work as a team, until we fell from the tree fort and saved each other by levitating with telekineis.

 _"We just pulled off a telekinetic trust fall!"_

 _"I know. We actually had each other's backs."_

At that moment, all I wanted to do was run up to her and kiss those perfect lips. She looked so beautiful with that red lipstick, that I could barely come up with some stupid joke to distract her. That's what I was thinking about when I suddenly heard the Thundertanium door opening, and lost all concentration.

I could feel how the energy I gathered was slowly fading away, and then landed on my feet just in time to see Dr. Hudson walking inside the room. He was carrying a clipboard in his hands and as soon as he saw what I did, he closed the door and began writing something on the papers.

"Interesting." He said before adjusting his glasses. "Well, looks like the doctors from General Hospital forgot to mention your fifth power in the medical record. Flight." He pointed out before writing again.

"No, that was just telekinesis. I don't have a fifth power." I clarified while leaning on the table. "Did you get the permission?" I tried to change the subject.

"That's why I'm here. Look, I really tried but... the administrative staff told me your sister must be at least 15 years old to get in here. They're pretty strict about it." He carefully explained to me. "I'm sorry."

When I heard the bad news I got a little bit upset because I was hoping to see Chloe again. It's been months since the last time we talked and I wanted to apologize. I practically forced her to hide everyone else the real reason I wanted to find Dark Slaughter, and she didn't deserve that kind of pressure.

"But yesterday your other siblings called and confirmed the visit for next week." He said before putting the clipboard on my bed, then turned to face me.

"Sounds good. I just hope not to lose my mind during the visit, and start attacking everyone with telekinesis." I sarcastically said. "Oh and... once again, I'm sorry."

I still feel guilty for what I did to him. Among all of the people I hurt that night, I think he got the worst part. Some of the guards ended up with some slight fractures, but he received multiple injuries from the crystal he broke through, several bruises on his face, and a broken arm. Good thing they had a doses of that regenerative formula.

"It's okay Max, you were not being yourself." He said in a comprehensive way.

"Yeah, wasn't my best time. By the way... who was this invisible guy who took me down with a Taser?" I asked after having a flashback of me being stunned. "That thing hurts."

"¿You mean Tom? He's the head of the security staff, but he's not invisible. He's got a strange power called 'adaptive camouflage'." Dr Hudson explained while taking off his glasses. "His body is capable of mimicking any environment to hide in plain sight. He's more like a chameleon."

When I heard the last word he said, I just stopped listening. I couldn't help but remember the man who recruited me for Dark Slaughter's army about two years ago. The bastard who was able to alter my Thundersense to prevent me from detecting the shot that killed Phoebe.

I suddenly start to feel something in my head that made me put one hand on my right temple. I try to ignore it but in the blink of an eye, the crystals from Dr. Hudson's glasses got shattered completely, and he dropped them on the floor.

That's when I fell on my knees and grasped my head with both hands, feeling like it was about to explode. My eyes were closed but that didn't stop me from being aware that everything around me has started to move with telekinesis. I don't know what's going on but the last time I felt something like this, didn't end so well.

"It's happening again!" I desperately yelled.

"Max, listen to me. You gotta focus, try to breathe deeply." He stated in a worried voice.

I try to do what he says but it's practically impossible for me to think straight. There's something inside me that triggers these powers every time I see or hear anything related to that day, or at least that's how it started last time. All I can do is kneeling in the middle of the floor, and trying to control my emotions.

Few minutes ago I was in total control of these powers, but now I can barely redirect all those telekinetic waves from hitting Dr. Hudson. I don't know how much time I'm gonna be able to resist.

I never felt this amount of energy before. All of those objects are violently shaking no matter how big they are, and unscrewing the metal tubular bed from the floor was not hard for me. But just when I thought I was going to black out, the whole commotion suddenly stopped, and then I heard a metal crack all over the room. I knew what was coming.

"You gotta get out of here. I can't control it, get out!" I shouted him out right before one of the lights on the ceiling exploded, followed by a very loud alarm.

I can feel how the Thundertanium plates on the walls are telekinetically bending like they were made of paper, to the point of ripping out some of the screws that held them together. When I finally opened the eyes, I immediately stood up and saw everything around me was hovering in mid-air.

"Max, I know you can do it." I heard him say.

For some reason my brain is reluctant to let the objects go, but I still decide to try one last time, so I close my eyes and start visualizing those heavy objects slowly descending, but it only made it worse. I was about to give up and release a powerful wave all around the place, when I heard a voice inside of my head:

 _"Come on Max, you've worked so hard to turn your life around, don't throw it all away!"_

And out of nowhere, all the tension I was feeling in my head just disappeared, and the things I've been holding in the air with so much effort, fell to the floor in the middle of a deafening noise that took us by surprise. With the situation under control, I could finally take a sigh of relief.

A deep silence took over the room as I looked around the place, not being able to believe what I just did. There were several plates of Thundertanium spread on the floor completely bent, something I never thought it was possible to do with just telekinesis.

The tubular bed was a little buckled and had some fragments of the broken lamp on it. The table and the chair were upside down at one of the corners of the room, the toilet was laying on the floor cut in half, and a big water stream was flowing out of the drainage system.

"Well... putting aside the chaos, I gotta say that was impressive." Dr. Hudson said behind me.

"Really?" I asked right before turning around to see him. "I was this close to hit you with a telekinetic wave." I added while holding my thumb and index finger together.

"But you didn't. Look, this is a slow process, Max. Over the past 20 years I've had a lot of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Some of them are still treated here, but you... you've given some big steps for your recovery in less than one year. Believe me, there are worst cases than yours." He assured me.

"Maybe you're right, but how am I supposed to see my siblings like this? What if I hurt them?"

Causing a bloodbath just to find a villain I should've tried to capture was bad enough to even considering the risk of hurting my siblings. I really want to see them again, it's been months but... I would never forgive myself if something happened to them.

"You know... there's something we haven't tried yet."

 **03:45 PM**

A couple hours later they put me in a new room, the fourth one. The place is as big as the previous one and has everything I had before, but for what I've seen so far the security is pretty low. There's no Thundertanium walls here, just some normal walls white painted. The door is made of wood and there's just a brass handle with a common lock.

Maybe I'm underestimating his double master in psychiatry, but I don't think this fragile room is gonna be the solution to my problems. After what happened I thought he'd put me in a more resistant room, or force me to use a reinforced straightjacket, but he seems to have other plans for me.

"Look, I don't know what you're up to, but this is the worst place you could find to contain me. You have any idea of how easy could it be for me to take down that door? And these walls... well you saw what I did back there." I told him as soon as he closed the door.

"I know, but I'm not trying to contain you, Max. I brought you here because there's a treatment I thought was unnecessary when you started getting better." He said while getting close to me. "You won't have to worry about hurting anyone here. Not with this." He added right before showing me his right hand open.

"A pill?" I incredulously asked.

"It's not just a pill. This new piece of biotechnology is able to suppress all the powers from the person who takes it, for at least 24 hours. It was created out of the DNA of a French girl who born with the amazing ability of blocking powers from the people around her." He carefully explained to me.

I never heard of someone who could block other's powers just by being around. The Hero League was working on a list with the names of thousands of supes around the world, so I'm not surprised they found her so quickly. Her DNA is practically a biological version of Malvexium, except for the long-term effects.

"Great, I'm taking another person's DNA... again." I sarcastically said while taking the pill from his hand.

"What do you mean?" He asked without fully understanding my comment.

"Nevermind. So all I have to do is taking one of these pills every 24 hours, right? And how long is this treatment?" I tried to ask while taking a closer look of the pill.

This thing doesn't look like any other pill I've seen before. At first sight it looks like half the size of a common capsule with red/transparent caps, but what definitely caught my attention was the content of the pill, because those small and bright particles seemed to be floating inside there.

"Well, it's hard to tell. I guess until we can find a way to control whatever is triggering all these emotional responses. After that, it won't be necessary to suppress your powers anymore." He replied before handing me a glass of water from the table on his left.

"Sounds good. But these powers... they're not mine." I corrected him while swallowing the pill, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Is that why you keep saying 'these powers'? Because you don't feel them yours?" He asked me shortly after.

Judging by way he said the last part, it was clear for me that he's been trying to ask me that for months. He used the same tone of voice every time I talked about Phoebe. He probably just wanted to find the right moment to ask, and today he finally did but... I'm sure he's not gonna like my answer.

"It's because they're undeserved." I suddenly admitted, putting the glass on the table. "I took them as a last resource to keep fighting that murderer, but also because I didn't want to lose that last part of Phoebe." I began to explain right before leaning my back on the wall, and then slowly descended to the floor. "She'd be so disappointed."

"But you succeed on saving her powers from that monster. The way I see it, your sister still lives inside you. So why she'd be disappointed?" He inquired.

"Well... at this point you must have read my whole history in the League, but I'm sure there was nothing about the events prior to the explosion. You see, I killed dozens of people back in that building because I wasn't able to control my rage. I just kept seeing that bastard on each one of their faces, and the worst thing is I didn't even feel remorse."

"And I don't blame you. The Hero League report says you didn't receive professional help after your sister's death, and when you tried to take up your life it was too hard for you to control your emotions. With all the suffering you were dealing with, I would say it was a completely natural reaction." He assured me.

"My parents keep telling me how much they love me and support me but... I don't think they're gonna look at me the same when they find out what I did that night." I replied before letting out deep sigh.

"You'd be amazed of how understanding your parents can be. There's not a single day they don't call my office asking for you." The doctor confessed. "It was thanks to them that I could get to know more about the relationship between you and your sister." He added right after, taking me by surprise.

For one minute I thought my parents have figure out what kind of relationship Phoebe and I had. An endless number of scenarios started playing in my head, in which I had to confess everything about our secret relationship, but that's impossible. Chloe is the only person in this world who knows the truth about us, and I doubt she could've said anything.

"Why? What do you mean?" I curiously asked.

"They talked to me about how good you used to work as a team, and all those years you spent living together." He told me while leaning on the table. "But tell me Max, in your own words, how close were you and Phoebe?"

This innocent question caught me off guard, bringing all those memories back to my mind, and it was practically impossible for me not to think about all the kisses we shared, all the morning cuddles or all those nights we spent together. Unfortunately, that's not something I can share with him.

I don't know if talking about Phoebe is going to be helpful or not, but I guess it won't be that bad if I tell him one thing or two about our brother and sister relationship. Of course I'm not gonna say anything about twincest.

"Well... we used to get along just fine, but not always was like that..." I began to explain. "It all started when we moved from Metroburg..."

 **March 11, 2024, Monday.** **  
 **11:07 AM.****

One week passed in the blink of an eye, and the day where I was supposed to see my siblings, finally arrived. Now that I'm following this new treatment, I don't have to worry about hurting anyone else, and the good thing is now I'm allowed to leave my room at will. Something I really needed.

I like to walk around the recreation zone or the back garden, and when that happens I can barely feel the security staff nervously looking at me, and I don't blame them. I almost killed two of their partners during my breakout attempt, so it's normal if they feel threatened by me.

But not everyone in Rutledge is so hostile, because Amanda and Jake still treat me good. They were re-assigned to another patient when I regain my mobility last year, so I hardly see them since then. But three days ago I saw them in the back side of the building, and as far as I could see, those two are still dating.

It's hard to believe that nobody here has noticed what happens between them. I guess people are too busy to actually pay attention to what others are doing. I wish the orderlies were more like that because no matter what I do, they keep watching me at every step I take, just like today.

I'm walking to the visitors room right know, wearing my inmate attire just like all days, but all I can think about is: _'don't lose your mind in front of them'_. I'm sure nothing's gonna happen as long as the neutralizer pill is active in my system, but I still don't want them to see me like I was last week.

It's been months since I saw Billy and Nora at the funeral, but it's been forever since the last time I actually talked to them. Of course I miss them as much as I miss Chloe, but I wouldn't be surprised if they hate me for being so distant while I was hunting down Dark Slaughter.

I can feel the sunlight coming through the windows as I walk by corridor, and I swear I'll never get tired of this. Maybe it's just a normal reaction from someone who has been locked up in a building for months, or maybe it's just a sad reminder of those summer mornings at the apartment, I don't know.

"Max, they're waiting for you." Dr. Hudson said as soon as he saw me approaching to the visitors room.

"Thank you doctor." I told him before opening the door.

Once I walked into the room, the first thing I did was taking a look around the place. Despite of the current hour, I see there are some patients gathering with their families, but there's no clue of my siblings. I keep walking through the tables until I see four arms waving in the air near the bottom of the room, so I quickly head there.

"Max!" They both exclaimed at the same time, and stood up from the chairs immediately.

As soon as I got to that table they hugged me at the same time, but after seeing them more closely, I could barely recognize them. They looked so different from those teenagers I used to remember, and their appearance was nothing like the one they had during our last Thanksgiving.

Nora looks a little bit taller with those high boots. Her long hair seems to be dyed in black and for what I've seen so far, her berets phase is over, and that eyebrow piercing is a proof of it. Billy looks so different with that three-day beard and long hair, but it was his clothes and Nora's what really caught my attention.

I remember they used to wear bright colors every day, and it was so weird to see them with something black or gray, but now those seem to be their favorite colors. They're both wearing worn out jeans, dark colored t-shirts and denim jackets. I keep telling myself that they just changed their taste in clothing, but maybe there's something I'm not seeing.

"I can't believe you're here." I rushed to say as soon as they let me go.

"You won't get rid of us so easily." Nora replied in a funny way.

When I looked into their eyes I realized how wrong I was in judging them. I thought they would be mad at me for not being around when Phoebe died, but now they're here with a smile on their face, willing to talk to me after such a long time, and I couldn't be happier.

"But don't you just stand there, come on let's take a sit." I suggested before grabbing one of the chairs. "Wait a minute. If you're here... who's out there, saving Hiddenville?" I asked them once they seated in front of me.

"Easy. Mom and dad." Billy confessed without hesitating.

"Billy!" Nora shut him off immediately, slightly punching him with her elbow.

I wasn't expecting that. My parents were here last week and didn't mention any of this. I thought my siblings were still protecting the city due to Evelyn's commands but... I guess it's been a very long time since then. Maybe there is something I'm not seeing.

"So they're back?" I dubiously asked.

"Yeah. It's jut... mom and dad didn't want to say anything that could distract you from your treatment. Max, we all want you to get better as soon as possible." She explained to me before making a short pause. "Who knows... maybe we can have you back in home for Christmas this year. Oh and... don't worry, the city's in good hands." She added.

"I know. Who better than two legendary heroes to protect Hiddenville?" I replied with a soft smile. "But what about you two? Tell me all about Lasergirl and Lightspeed." I tried to change the subject.

"Well... we haven't really done a lot as superheroes lately. When Simone's boyfriend helped you heal your wounds and leave the hospital, Nora and I decided it was time to go back to our normal life, oh and guess what... she finally got accepted at College." Billy explained to me with a big smile on his face.

I knew this would happen sooner or later. When Billy and Nora were kids, they were so excited to become superheroes and protect their own city, just like Phoebe and me, but at some point everything changed. A couple years later, they were so focused on living their civilian identities, that they barely had time for anything else.

And as they grew up together, they preferred to explore other things to the point of putting aside the super trainings with mom and dad, and by the time they reached High School, it was clear for all of us that superhero life was not for them. It was just a matter of time for them to realize.

"Did you get into UF too?" I effusively asked Nora, and when I saw them nodding at the same time, there was only one thing I could tell them: "I'm so proud of you Nora. Both of you." They smiled at me with a hint of satisfaction, but their expression changed completely when I said: "And I'm sure she'd be so proud too."

 **June 02, 2024, Sunday.** **  
 **10:45 AM.****

I haven't had any psychotic episode in the last three months, and according to Dr. Hudson, this is the biggest progress he has witness in more than two decades of experience. I still miss Phoebe as much as the first day, maybe even more but... her memories have stopped triggering my hallucinations. At least for now.

I'm still taking those high tech pills every day, and even though I miss practicing my skill with telekinesis, I'm happy no one got hurt in all this time. My room looks exactly the same since they transferred me from Level 5 to Level 2, and I hope it stays that way because I wouldn't like to destroy another one.

This level is destined for patients with a moderate degree of danger, but thanks to prescriptions like mine, is not necessary to keep them locked up in heavy armored rooms. That's why the hallways are so much quiet than the ones from the medical area I arrived to in catatonic state.

I've had plenty of time to meditate in such a peaceful place like this, that I'm beginning to put my life in perspective. I've been trying to convince myself that all I did to kill that monster is completely justified, but this idea is so hard to accept when my mind is full of memories of me slaying all of his army.

"It scares me to think about what I could get to be if I only tried. I mean... after all I've done, what makes me different than them?"

That's all I could say after telling Dr. Hudson exactly what I did before fighting Dark Slaughter. When I shot the first blast I was completely out of my mind. All I wanted was to get ridge of those guys and find their leader at any cost, but now I have to struggle with the guilt of taking all those lives.

"What you're feeling right now, is what makes you different." He assured me.

When I first talked to him several months ago, I wasn't sure that these simple talks could help me in any way, but here I am now, leaned on the couch from his office as he writes something on his notebook. I guess I judged his methods so quickly.

"Max, you could've killed me and those orderlies when you tried to escape here, but you didn't. Yes, you were surrounded when you went after those criminals and so you were here, but you decided to run away instead of killing all of us. Trust me, what happened in that building was not your fault." He carefully explained to me.

"Maybe you're right, but I don't think Phoebe would be so proud for what I did." I replied before crossing my arms.

"Are you telling me that she wouldn't be here to support you?" He immediately asked, leaving me speechless.

In the blink of an eye I remembered all the times Phoebe was there for me. Like when she dared to use freeze breath on Pop-Pop to get in the Detention Zone and bring me back, or when she gave me the confidence I needed to get over my irrational fear of not making it to the Z-Force.

She always showed me her love and comprehension, whether I deserved it or not. Even the slightest symptom of a cold was enough for her to take care of me all day and treat me like a baby. Damn, she could've turned into a nurse just to take care of me personally.

"No. Of course she'd be here." I agreed with a soft smile.

"Look, despite of all the things you've done, there's no reason to believe that you can't have a normal life out there. You regained your mobility in just a few months, your hallucinations are practically gone." He began to say. "The only reason you're still here, is because there's something that is holding you back." He added.

"Like what?" I asked in disbelief.

I've been very careful not to say anything that could raise suspicions about my relationship with Phoebe, but every time I hear him talking like that, makes me wonder if he knows more than what he says. That's the main reason these sessions are so tiring for me, because I'm constantly trying to avoid talking about the biggest secret of my life.

"You're the only one who knows the answer. For what I've seen in the past few months, you don't need to take those pills anymore, but I want to make sure that there's nothing inside you that can trigger another psychotic episode." He carefully explained. "But its okay, we'll talk about this next week."

"Next week? We're not having a session tomorrow?" I rushed to ask.

"No. I'm flying to New York tomorrow evening. It's... it's personal. I was gonna tell Amanda or Jake to come see you from time to time, but they're a little short-handed at the medical area, so I decided to hire a nurse to help you out while I'm out." He told me before standing up from the couch on my left. "She comes from Kansas."

"Kansas? I didn't know you hired people outside the limits of Metroburg." I immediately replied.

"Only when they get in contact with supes or villains. I haven't had the chance to meet her, but one of my friends from Smallville Medical Center met her when he was teaching at a nursing school, and told to me a lot about her. She'll be here tomorrow morning."

It's always good to see new faces here. Now that I can walk around the recreation zone or the back garden, I've had the opportunity to meet some of the patients and the asylum staff. Even the orderlies I froze last year, have started to treat me better than the first time I walked out of my room alone.

I don't know anything about this nurse, but if she earned Dr. Hudson's trust without even meeting him, she must be one of the best nurses in Kansas. I'd rather that this girl was assigned to a patient who really needs her but hey... it's always good to have someone to talk to.

"All right. I guess I'll see you next week." I concluded.

 **June 03, 2024, Monday.** **  
 **08:04 AM.****

For some reason I woke up earlier this morning. I know I was dreaming about something, I just can't remember what it was. There was a moment when I thought someone was calling my name with a voice I couldn't recognize but... that's impossible. There's no one else in this room.

I put on the same boring clothes from everyday and once I grabbed something from the table, I decided to lay on the bed and kill some time with the only thing the asylum staff agreed to give me; a soft tennis ball. It may not be as fun as a tablet or a shock weapon, but it helps me keep my mind occupied.

And as I throw that thing in the air over and over again, I couldn't help but remember when I used to play tennis back in Junior High, so many years ago. I never really enjoyed this sport, but since it was one of the things Phoebe was not very good at, I loved to brag about my skills. After three victories at the Metroburg Junior Open, I earned a nickname.

 _"Excuse me Thunderslam, you're supposed to help me win the free membership!"_

It's funny how my brain keeps bringing all these memories back. I'll never be able to forget that time when Phoebe asked my help to get in that rich club, just to spend more time with that asshole. I made her believe I was helping her just to get that embarrassing picture back, but it was a lie.

 _"Sorry Phoebe, but it turns out I love country club life! And one day of it is not enough. That membership is mine."_

The truth is I was just trying to find the perfect excuse to be close to her, and what's better than hanging around that place to prevent her from making out with that guy? It was the same one who decided to cheat on her with his bug friend less than a year later. Man, I really enjoyed hitting him in the balls with a soft thing like this.

I can barely see the pain in his face again. I think I've never hit a ball with such strength before, not even on the championships, and I hate to admit it but... the next few weeks I kind of felt bad for that poor racket. And as I keep throwing the ball near the bright lights on the ceiling, I suddenly hear someone knocking at the door.

"Come on in." I exclaimed before throwing up the ball again.

I looked at my right and as soon as the door opened, I saw a blonde girl walking inside the room. She's wearing the same white uniform than the asylum staff, and is carrying a medical case in her left hand. The girl closed the door behind her and smiled at me for a few seconds, until she finally broke the ice:

"Hi! You must be Max Thunderman, and..." She tried to say with a marked foreign accent, but something made her stop. "And... looks like I got here just in time." She added right away.

I had no idea what she meant until I noticed she was looking up the ceiling, and suddenly something fell on my head. It was the tennis ball that has been levitating since she knocked at the door. It's been months since the last time I used telekinesis, that I didn't even feel when it got activated. I think I missed one pill yesterday.

The girl walked up to me without taking her eyes off of me, and the next thing she did was extending her right hand open. I stood up to shake her hand very nicely, and that's when I could take a better look on her. She seems to be a little shorter than me. Her long golden hair is tied in a ponytail, but there's something about those dark brown eyes that gets my attention.

"Would've been better a few minutes ago." I ironically said.

"Yes, maybe you're right. Anyway... Dr. Hudson probably told you about me, but if not, I'm gonna be your nurse till next week. That includes bringing your three meals, medicines, change of clothes and all you need." She carefully explained to me. "Oh by the way... my name is Tatiana Kuznetsova."

Considering her accent, I would've thought she's German, but now that I know what her name is, I'm almost sure she's Russian. I had the chance of learning other languages at the Hero League, but never really was one of my priorities. I bet Phoebe would've liked to know her.

"Nice to meet you, Tatiana. But... you're gonna have to tell me your last name again."

She just smiled at me and proceeded to open her medical case.

 **June 07, 2024, Friday.** **  
 **09:22 PM.****

Unlike I initially thought, having a nurse assigned to "take care of me" was not a bad idea after all. She showed a very cheerful attitude since the first day, and she always had a smile on her face. We used to talk a little bit every time she came to the room with my food tray, but now we talk for hours in the asylum surroundings.

The first time me and Tatiana had a long conversation was two days ago at the back garden. I was leaned beneath one of the trees, just looking at the clouds in the sky until she showed up and offered me a lemonade glass. I don't even know how we started to talk about our past, but that's how I learned a more about her.

She's 25 years old and born in Russia just like I thought. Her parents went bankrupt and decided to travel this country when she was a teenager, hoping to give her only daughter a better life here. Unfortunately they died in a car crash the same year they arrived, leaving Tatiana alone in the world.

St. Fatima's Orphanage was her home until she turned 18 and graduated from Smallville High School. Going to College was way too expensive for her, so she got forced to get a job at a local restaurant, and to rent a small apartment to live. Her plan was to resume her studies someday.

But her life changed completely when she witnessed the murder of a young girl in the middle of the road. The guy who killed her was a villain with the ability of pyrokinesis, but a more lethal variation that allows the owner to produce blue fire. Tatiana tried to help this girl but it was too late, and the only thing she found in her belongings was an ID card with the logo of CKU. That poor girl was a medical student at Central University of Kansas.

Ever since that day, Tatiana began to work really hard to follow her steps and get to be a nurse, but things were not that easy. She spent several months trying to find a way of adjusting her daily expenses, just to get in a nursing school she could pay. All she wanted was to help others.

Maybe that's why I trusted her enough to share some stories of my life. From my sordid past as a supervillain, to the day I decided to rectify my path and become a superhero. It's weird because I didn't trust Dr. Hudson for the first three or four weeks, and I doubt it was because of something related to my psychosis.

There's something about this girl that keeps arousing my curiosity. During our last conversations I felt like I already knew her, but that's impossible because she was a completely stranger to me just a few days ago. All I know is every time I talk to her, feels like I'm talking to an old friend.

Maybe that's why I sneak into the last floor of the building lately, to get things straight in my head. I'm not supposed to walk around the asylum less than an hour before curfew, but there's this hallway that has a window the size of a wall, where I like to sit down to look at the city.

And as I stare at the lighted up buildings at the distance, there's a memory that keeps playing in my head like it was yesterday; the first time Phoebe and I made love in our apartment. We've already lived together at Heroe's Take Care and the farthest we went to was kissing each other, but living as two passionate lovers hiding from the world, was something completely new for both of us.

 _We were peacefully cuddling under the sheets that night, with nothing more to worry about than feeling each other's warmness, but at some point I realized Phoebe was not in my lap anymore. Her biggest concern was to get caught by Chloe in one of her visits, so waking up in the middle of the night had become a habit for her._

 _After a rubbing my eyes a little bit, I got off the bed and walked out of the room to find her. A glass of water used to be enough for her when she was worried about something, so I thought of going to the kitchen first, but when I got to the living room Phoebe was there, standing right in front of the window, completely naked and staring at the city._

"A million dollars for your thoughts." A heard a soft voice saying, taking me by surprise.

It's funny because that is exactly what I told Phoebe when I got close to her that night, so I quickly turn my head and see Tatiana is sitting next to me. The lights are off but the moon is bright enough for me to see her face. I was so buried in my thoughts that I didn't even hear when she got here.

"What?" I asked right away.

"Sorry. You were so concentrated that I... never mind." Tatiana tried to say. "Well, now I see why you always disappear before getting back to your room. It's a beautiful view." She added while looking at the city.

"Yeah. Phoebe loved doing this. She always tried to find shapes or silhouettes among the lights." I told her before looking at the city again. "But she never found any because I always cut her off from behind."

"Really? How?" She asked in a curious way.

At that time Phoebe and I had not developed telepathy yet, but I didn't need it to know that she was feeling guilty for having a moral questionable relationship with her twin. In her own words, her sense of right and wrong had never been so blurred before.

Of course I wasn't gonna get into details with Tatiana. During the past few days we have shared a lot of things about us, just like two good friends would, but this is a secret no one else can know about. So when I heard that question, I had to say the first thing I came up with:

"By tickling her."

She just giggled at my answer like she was picturing the whole scene in her mind. We both remained silent for the next five minutes or so, just looking at the city side by side, but there was a time when I could barely feel she was staring at me. Like she was trying to ask me something.

"Have you thought about going back to the city? I mean... as a superhero?" She suddenly asked me, so I turned to face her.

"Yeah. That's what I promised Phoebe the day before her funeral, but I think that's impossible at this point. The Hero League kicked me out permanently after I beat up a guy and left him in a comma. Not to mention the criminals I killed before fighting against Dark Slaughter." I carefully explained to her. "I doubt people want a vengeful hero like me."

I wasn't really sure if I should tell her how is it that I ended up here, but when I finally did yesterday, she didn't seem to be scared or surprised as I thought. Maybe the years she spent working as a nurse are the cause of this big empathy of her, but I can't stop thinking that those brown eyes are trying to tell me something else.

"Well it's their loss." Tatiana assured me before looking at the city again.

The way she looked at me when I told her why I can't be a superhero, seemed very familiar to me. For a minute I thought she was going to encourage me to be a hero again, I could it in her eyes but for some reason she hold it back. The next thing she did was letting out a deep sigh, and stood up immediately.

"It's getting late. Let's go back to your room." She concluded.

 **June 10, 2024, Monday.** **  
 **08:47 AM.****

The week ended almost as fast as it started, and the last day Tatiana would be here was just to bring her uniform back, and a well detailed report for Dr. Hudson. Her work here was done, but I will never forget how caring and kind she was during her stay here.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to say goodbye to her. We were supposed to talk a little bit after dinner, just to kill some time before my time of sleep. When she walked out of my room to take everything back to the kitchen, I laid down on the bed for a while and waited for her to return, but never thought I'd fall asleep before she arrived.

Now it's too late and I can't help but feeling guilty, because last time really I trusted a person who was not from my family, was several years ago when I started dating Allison. Probably this is just another day at work in Tatiana's life, but at least I would've liked to thank her.

And here I am, laying on the bed and looking at the ceiling as I keep blaming myself. I woke up not so long ago thanks to the constant steps I hear outside of my room, something I'll never get used to. As soon as I got off the bed, I walked to the sink to wash my face in front of the mirror and for the first time in months, my beard still looks stubble.

I turn around and the first thing I see, is the change of clothes Tatiana used to leave on the drawer chest every night. Suddenly this strange sensation starts running through my body, and then I feel how these powers are coming back again, just like the day I met her.

I close my eyes as I slowly try to redirect this energy through my body. After such a long time without using powers, I thought it would take me a lot to use telekinesis again, but as soon as I aimed my right hand at those clothes on the drawer chest, I made them fly straight to my hand with just a single move of my wrist.

Seems like the effects of the neutralizer pill are fading away, but judging by the way I telekinetically pulled the clothes, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use these powers at its maximum level any time soon. And as I think about this, I place the clothes on the table to start taking off my t-shirt.

I throw it at the bed and grab the other one from the table, but just when I was about to put it on, I hear someone knocking at the door repeatedly. It's almost 9 O'clock in the morning, so that must be Dr. Hudson with today's pill. Man, I really hope it's the last one.

"It's open, doc." I replied, raising up the voice.

My face was still covered by the t-shirt when I heard the door opening, and when I finally put it on, I saw Tatiana standing right in the middle of the entrance. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I think she was staring at me way before I realized she was there. The way she lowered her gaze as soon as I looked into her eyes, raised my suspicions.

"Sorry. I should've called first." She apologized with that Russian accent I thought I'd never hear again.

"Tatiana? What are you doing here?" I asked in astonishment while getting close to her.

I thought she'd be on her way to Kansas by this time, but now she's right in front of me with a visitor pass hanging from her neck, and dressing as civilian. This is the first time I see her as a normal girl, wearing dark blue jeans, a light colored shirt, high heels, and her long wavy hair hanging loose to her shoulders. She closed the door behind her and turned around with that sweet smile of her.

"Well, I just gave my report to one of Dr. Hudson's assistants; Amanda. She was very nice by the way." She began to explain like she was trying to elaborate her answer. "I was about to leave but.. I wanted to say goodbye before going back to Smallville, so I asked her this special permission to come see you." She added while showing me the pass.

"I'm glad to see you again." I replied smiling back. "I can't believe I fell asleep last night, I just..." I tried to say but she didn't let me finish.

"It's okay Max. You were just tired." She kindly assured me.

"Yeah well... I guess spending hours playing chess is kind of tiring after all." I pointed out with a hint of humor.

"I hate to say it but... I told you so." She playfully replied with a smirk I never saw before.

She then stared at me with those deep brown eyes. I don't know why but every time she stares at me like that, I feel this strange pressure in my chest that I don't even know what it means. It was hard to put aside this feeling, but I managed to do so because this is probably the last time I'm gonna see her.

"It was really nice to meet you." I sincerely told her.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you as well." She answered me with a soft smile.

I was about to wish her good luck on her trip, when she suddenly came towards me and wrapped her arms around my neck, very tightly. She didn't say anything, she just exhaled deeply like she was holding back form crying. I hugged her with both of my arms around her waist and when I placed my head on her shoulder, I could smell the scent from her hair.

"Goodbye Max Thunderman." Tatiana whispered me, right before letting me go.

When I finally saw her face again, she didn't look like she was about to cry, but there was something in her eyes that told me the contrary. I don't know, maybe I'm just overanalyzing things. Maybe it's perfectly normal for her to get a little bit upset when saying goodbye to her patients. She clearly has an amazing empathy with people.

The next thing she did was walking back to the entrance and opened the door very slowly, but before taking a step out of the room, she looked at me for the last time and waved at me with her right hand. I did the same and we couldn't help but sharing a soft smile, until she finally closed the door.

I stood there for a couple seconds before going back to the table to keep changing my clothes. The room is completely silent right now, and all I hear is the peaceful sound of the air conditioner coming from the vents. I was about to grab the rest of the clothes when I suddenly hear a well known voice in the back of my head:

 _"I hope I can see you again."_

That's Phoebe's voice, I can't be wrong. It sounded so real that I quickly turned around to see where did it come from, but no one was there. I try to remember when was the last time she told me these same words but I can't, because it was not a memory... it was telepathy.

 _"Phoebe? Is that you?"_ I mentally tried to ask, but didn't get an answer.

 **To be continued...**


End file.
